Sandwell Council’s SHAPE programme is delivering its annual Anti-Bullying Week roadshow this week (Monday 13 November to Monday 20 November 2023).
Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, Councillor Simon Hackett and the SHAPE team kicked the week off at the Q3 Academy Tipton.
The roadshow is delivered in partnership with West Midlands Police to children and young people in Sandwell schools.
The theme of this year’s roadshow is ‘Make a Noise about Bullying’ and the roadshow will be visiting seven Primary schools, two Secondary schools and one Secondary Special School to raise awareness to over 500 children and young people.
The theme ‘Make a noise about bullying’ came about following consultation with teachers and pupils by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, in which teachers and young people wanted a theme that empowered them to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes.
The workshops will look at what bullying is, how bullying is different to banter and the consequences that bullying can have. We will also be looking at how we can ‘Make a noise about bullying’.
Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:
“Our Anti-Bullying Roadshow offers a great opportunity for schools to raise children’s awareness of bullying and highlight this issue.
“I want to make sure the anti-bullying message remains a priority with schools, families and most importantly children and young people, all year round. Please follow the messages of this year’s campaign and ‘Make a Noise’ if you or your child is being bullied.”
“The anti-bullying workshops now in their eighth year, have always been a great success, reaching thousands of young people. We hope that the messages given during the workshops will stay with the children and give them the help and confidence to speak out to a trusted adult, if they are being bullied.
“It’s important for them to know that they are not alone, and we can only tackle bullying if we all take a personal responsibility to help stamp it out.”
The SHAPE Programme organises events and opportunities throughout the year for children and young people to engage in positive activities.
SHAPE’s objective is to listen to the voice of children and young people in Sandwell using the five ‘Every Child Matters Outcomes’:
• Staying safe;
• Being healthy;
• Enjoying and achieving;
• Making a positive contribution;
• Economic wellbeing.
More information on the SHAPE programme is available here:
(Picture l-r Neesha Patel - SHAPE Programme Manager, Mr Adam Slack - Headteacher of Q3 Tipton, Emily Rees-Woodhall - Young People's Digital Communications Officer, PC Hughie Treasure - Sandwell Young People's Officer, Cllr Simon Hackett - Cabinet Member for Young People and Education, Asha Lawrence - SHAPE Project Support Officer, Rajdeep Atwal - SHAPE Project Support Officer, Mrs Jean Young - Anti- Bullying Champion at Q3 Tipton)