Use Your Voice: a newsletter featuring pupil action against bullying

What schools are doing

Childline peer counselling
(ChildLine Scotland)
ChildLine has a special project involving volunteer 16-19 year old counsellors. ChildLine also has exercises aimed at changing young people's attitudes to bullying and finding out what they feel about how this issue should be dealt with in schools.

Pupils take the lead in dealing with bullying
(Balerno High School)
Balerno High School has a long-standing peer support scheme which is run and managed by senior pupils. Staff offer support but allow the young people to take the lead in implementing and evaluating the scheme.

Five workshops took place at the conference. These allowed pupils and teachers from a number of schools to discuss approaches to dealing with bullying.

Tackling bullying by focusing on solutions
(Hermitage Academy)
S6 FAB (Friends Against Bullying) befrienders talked about their role in the school's anti-bullying policy. S1 and S3 pupils talked about their involvement in the FAB scheme.

Training peer supporters
(Carrick Academy)
For the past 6 years, S5/6 volunteers have been trained in interpersonal skills as part of the school's peer helper scheme. Pupils have been involved in evaluating and modifying the scheme.

A befriending service on the Intranet
(Kirkcudbright Academy)
Intranet befriending is a new system whereby pupils can e-mail S6 befrienders who have been trained to respond.

Feelings about bullying can be explored through music, drama and writing!

Drama by St Margaret Mary's RC
Secondary School, Glasgow

Music by Baldragon High School, Dundee

There was a debate of high quality on

the motion "Bullying will never be reduced without meaningful pupil participation".
David Bernard, an MSYP from Edinburgh chaired the debate. The motion was proposed by David McLean and by Alix Thomson. It was opposed by James Peter Campbell and by Sarah Nisbet. The motion was overwhelmingly carried.