Tag: Think b4 you type

Two young people involved in NSPCC campaigns shortlisted as finalists in Young Scot Awards

Fatima Ishaq, 16, from Dundee, and Rachel Talbot, 14, from Angus, are two of the young people selected as finalists for this year’s Young Scot Awards for their involvement in campaigns including ‘Young Women Know’, addressing peer sexual abuse, and ‘Think b4 You Type’ an anti-bullying toolkit for schools.

Since its launch in 2006, the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards have been Scotland’s only national awards evening for the young people of Scotland. They have celebrated the inspirational contributions and achievements of thousands of young Scots who have made a real difference to communities across Scotland.

Fatima, who attends Morgan Academy, is a member of the Young Women’s Advisory Group, who are developing the Young Women Know: Dundee campaign. It launched last year, and is a joint project between NSPCC Scotland, YWCA Scotland – the Young Women’s Movement, and Dundee City Council.

The group are creating tailored resources to address peer sexual abuse and help ensure that every young woman and girl in Dundee knows what a healthy relationship looks like and where to go if they need advice or support.

Fatima, finalist in the Young Scot Awards volunteering category, said: “When I found out I was a finalist in the awards I was a bit shocked, but in a good way. I knew I had been nominated, but I wasn’t expecting to make it to the final.

“The Young Women Know campaign is so important because it will teach young people about healthy relationships, what they look like and how to spot red flags. It’s important for girls to know they can speak up and access support if they are in a toxic relationship. We’re still working on the materials and toolkit, but hopefully they will be ready to go out early this summer.

“I enjoy volunteering and there’s been lots of opportunities through school. I’m part of a mental health group and we do work in our school around young people’s mental and emotional health.

“I’m a chairperson on our school’s charity fundraising group, Interact, and we raise funds for various projects such as the shoebox appeal where we sent around 40 boxes to young people in countries in Eastern Europe filled with presents, clothing and sanitary products. And at Christmas we raised money towards a defibrillator to be fitted outside our school.

“I think it’s so important that young people’s voices are heard. At the end of the day, we’re the next generation and we should all have a say on our future and the world we want to create.”

Rachel has been involved since the early stages of an anti-bullying campaign, Think b4 You Type, alongside NSPCC Scotland, RespectMe and Angus Council.

The toolkit was initially launched just in Angus, but now the materials have been made available to secondary schools across Scotland.

Rachel, finalist in the enhancing education category, said: “I was really happy when I found out I was a finalist in the Young Scot Awards, and it’s great to think I could be receiving an award for the work I’ve been doing over the last while.”

Rachel also recently became a member of the NSPCC’s Young People’s Board for Change, which was launched last month to give young people the chance to shape and influence the work of the children’s charity.

Rachel added: “I’m really passionate about the anti-bullying campaign, and I’d love to see a drop in cyber bullying around the country. It’s hard enough being bullied in person in school, but there’s also the problem of being bullied online, and it can feel like there’s no escape sometimes

“I feel like young people have a lot to say, and if people listen to us then a lot of things could be changed for the better.”

Carla Malseed, local campaigns manager for NSPCC Scotland, said: “Both Fatima and Rachel are amazing young women who are certainly going places and deserve their nominations in the Young Scot Awards.

“Working with them both is a delight, and their commitment to their respective causes really shines through when they passionately speak about what is important to them.

“It is crucial that children and young people are at the heart of what we do here at NSPCC Scotland. The last year has been so hard on all of us, and the younger generation should not be defined by the pandemic. There is so much that can be learned from their experiences and our new Young People’s Board for Change, which Rachel is on, will provide us with great opportunities for us to learn and have young people shape our work.”

The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards will take place on 22 April.

Children’s organisations launch toolkit to help schools in Scotland tackle online bullying

  • Anti-bullying toolkit launched by NSPCC Scotland and respectme
  • Children’s Minister Maree Todd says toolkit will ‘help guide adults across Scotland on how to best support youth-led anti-bullying work’

A toolkit to help schools across Scotland run youth-led campaigns to tackle online bullying has been launched by NSPCC and respectme.

The Think B4 You Type toolkit, which was designed by the two children’s organisations alongside a group of young people from Angus, gives guidance to adults on setting up anti-bullying campaigns.

The resource was born out of a campaign run last year by NSPCC Scotland, respectme and Angus Council, which saw eight secondary schools in the area work to raise awareness of online bullying and find local, youth-led solutions to prevent and address it.

The activities put on by the young people in the schools included arranging sessions with peers to discuss online bullying, making a film on the impact of text bullying and social media comments, holding peer support drop in sessions and giving presentations in assemblies.

Rachel Talbot, who attends Brechin High School in Angus, was on the youth advisory group for the original campaign.

The 13-year-old said: “By working with our peers in our schools and sharing our own experiences, together we were able to create the Think B4 You Type campaign and make recommendations to Angus City Council regarding their anti-bullying policy in our schools.

“This issue matters to me so much personally, because when I was in primary school I was bullied both in person and online.

“It’s important to me to do as much as I can to try to stop anyone from going through the same thing and to help the ones who unfortunately do.

“I believe the activities that we ran at school during anti-bulling week, made everyone really think about the issue and the impact it can have on people’s lives.”

Every year, hundreds of young people from across Scotland contact the NSPCC’s Childline service about their bullying concerns, with cyberbullying becoming increasingly prevalent.

A 14-year-old girl told Childline: “I am being bullied by a girl at school. She has taken photos of me and posted them on Snapchat calling me fat and ugly and how I will never have a boyfriend.

“I have been having suicidal thoughts as this girl is really popular and she has turned my whole year against me.”

Another teenage girl told a counsellor: “Every day I wake up scared to go to school, scared about the comments people will make and scared about walking home. Then I get in and log onto my social networking site and there are horrible messages everywhere.

“It’s like there’s no escaping the bullies. I’m struggling to cope with how upset I feel so sometimes I cut myself just to have a release but it’s not enough. I can’t go on like this.”

Carla Malseed, NSPCC Scotland’s campaigns manager, said: “All children who are affected by bullying can suffer harm – whether they are bullied, they bully others or they witness bullying – and the effects of bullying can last into adulthood.

“Our Childline counsellors talk to hundreds of children in Scotland about bullying each year. Many young people talk about it affecting their self-worth and feeling trapped and isolated.

“While this toolkit focuses on online bullying, it is important that this is looked at in the wider context of relationships, and that any campaign considers the link between online and offline bullying.”

Wendy Harrington, director of respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service, said: “The youth-led campaign and activities run in Angus schools last year showed the power of young people to create change in their communities.

“It is vital that young people are empowered to support improvement in their own and their peers’ lives; they are the experts in their own experiences, and their understanding, ideas and solutions are essential to make these campaigns a success.”

Scotland’s Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd said: “All forms of bullying, including online bullying, are totally unacceptable. It is great to see young people coming together to take charge and make changes for the better.

“The hard work the young people in Angus have invested into the ‘Think B4 You Type’ campaign which has led to the development of the toolkit, shows the true passion and commitment of everyone involved.

“The toolkit will help guide adults across Scotland on how to best support youth-led anti-bullying work and it will act as a valuable legacy for the campaign.”

As well as providing guidance for adults, the toolkit includes templates and further learning for direct use by the young people themselves. Schools can download a copy of the toolkit from respectme.org.uk