Games legacy to fight the bullies (From Daily Echo)

Games legacy will help stop school bullies in Hampshire

4:00pm Thursday 11th October 2012 in News By Joe Curtis

HAMPSHIRE County Council is aiming to combat bullying through the Olympic and Paralympic legacy.

The council is holding an anti-bullying conference at its headquarters in Winchester tomorrow with 75 pupils aged 10-16 representing 34 schools and colleges across the county.

Pupils are encouraged to take on board the Olympic ideals of courage, respect, equality, friendship, determination, excellence and inspiration.

Meanwhile, two pupils from Winchester’s The Westgate School, Alex Dicker and Harry Elsmore, will lead a session on cyberbullying after researching its impact on young people.

They will be joined by support worker Andy Hider who said: “We are hoping to educate young people to take responsibility and use the resources available to stand up against bullies and be safe online.”

Other themes covered by the conference include religious bullying, disability, hate crime and homophobia and building resilience against abuse.

Education boss Councillor Roy Perry said: “Sadly bullying is something which can be encountered in all walks of life and we, as a county council, want to equip young people and our schools with mechanisms and strategies with which they can tackle it.

“The success of this conference lies in children, young people and the adults attending going back to their schools and wider communities and putting into practice what they have learned from the exchange of ideas and experiences at the conference.”

Winner of the council’s 2012 antibullying poetry competition will be presented prizes by Paralympian Peter Hull who was born without legs and has arms that end at the elbows but won gold in swimming at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.