From left: Abbey Hobson, Hannah Dawson and Mitchell Humphreys. www.communitypix.com.au d407329
Camera IconFrom left: Abbey Hobson, Hannah Dawson and Mitchell Humphreys. www.communitypix.com.au d407329 Credit: Supplied/Elle Borgward

Teaching bystanders to be ‘upstanders’

Laura Tomlinson, Weekend CourierWeekend Kwinana Courier

Spearheaded by education assistant Rocky Davis, the Breaking the Cycle program has been two years in the |making.

Through a combination of holding sessions with bullies and their victims, teaching children about empathy and compassion, providing strategies that enable students to deal with bullies in the playground and giving participants wristbands that indicated they were ambassadors for the program, the school estimates there has been a 60 per cent reduction in bullying.

Mr Davis said all 450 students from years 1 to 7 had been engaged in the project, and there were hopes the project would extend to other schools.

‘The beauty is it empowers children to be responsible for the wellbeing of others,’ he said.

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‘We turn bystanders into upstanders, it’s quite powerful.’

The school will hold a session for parents to discuss the program on September 17 at 7pm.

For more information call 0450 890 305.