Hounslow tunes in to beat bullying

11.02.2008

Young people from Hounslow have been working with Beatbullying, the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity, to record their own anti-bullying song as part of an innovative new campaign to tackle bullying in their borough.

On Thursday 14th February 2008, pupils from schools across Hounslow will showcase and present some of the important and cutting-edge work they have created for their borough. The roll out event is taking place at Montague Hall in Hounslow, from 4pm-6pm, where the young people will show how they have used music and drama as tools to beat bullying.

Richard Piggin, Communications Manager at Beatbullying, said: “Using music and drama to change behaviours is a fun and innovative way to tackle the problem of bullying. The Hounslow panel wanted to get their message across in a memorable and easily accessible format that would get the attention of their peers, and this should certainly have that effect.”

For the past three months, Beatbullying has been working directly with young people on an anti-bullying panel in Hounslow, discussing the problem of bullying and inviting the young people to consider their responses to it. On request, Beatbullying delivered a specialist BBTunes workshop utilising the charity’s new music division. Over the space of a two hour session, the young people created the lyrics and tune for a short anti-bullying song.

Alongside the song, the young people also decided to create a piece of drama, and design a poster and leaflet to raise awareness of the problem. The resources, devised for young people, contain definitions, scenarios, and most importantly, advice on how to tackle and prevent bullying. The song and drama piece will be broadcast on Beatbullying’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/beatbullying, from Friday 15th February, and the poster and leaflet will be distributed across the borough, into libraries, GP surgeries, public information areas, youth groups and schools.

Richard Piggin continued: “This is also peer mentoring working at its best. These students are taking responsibility for, and control of, issues such as bullying, that really affect their lives. They’re not only saying that bullying is unacceptable, but that they are going to do something positive about it.

Realising that they can tackle the problem themselves, the young people on the panel, with Beatbullying, will cascade their anti-bullying strategies, learning and tools back into their communities.”

Beatbullying provides on the ground anti-bullying support and workshops for schools and youth groups across the UK. The charity also offers a wide range of resources to professionals, parents and children via its website, www.beatbullying.org.

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For Beatbullying images, interviews and more information contact:
Beatbullying’s Press Office: 020 8768 1012 / 07875 481 142
Or email: Richard Piggin richard.piggin@beatbullying.org

Notes to editors:
Beatbullying is the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity. Founded in 1999, Beatbullying empowers young people to lead anti-bullying campaigns in their schools and local communities, and builds the capacity of local communities to sustain the work. Beatbullying has directly and indirectly worked with 700,000+ young people over the last 5 years, assisting and supporting young people that are being bullied, re-educating and changing the behaviour of young people that bully, and preventing bullying in schools and communities across the UK.

Roll out event details:
Address: Montague Hall, Montague Road, Hounslow, TW3 1LD
Time: 4-6pm
Photographs and interviews available on request

Pupils involved attend: Longford Community School, Chiswick Community School, Heston Community School and St Marks Catholic School.