Following on from the successful launch of the ‘Give Bullying the Boot’ campaign last November,
Over the course of February through to the end of March 2018, representatives from the Leicester Tigers will be visiting numerous schools across Leicestershire to provide talks about cyber bullying, looking at the impact of technology and social media.
To date, the ‘Give Bullying the Boot’ campaign has reached out to 770 school children from nine schools and 29 classes across the Leicestershire region.
This activity follows research conducted by the two organisations which has revealed that a third (28%) of Leicestershire school children say social media has added extra pressure to look or act a certain way, for fear of being bullied.
Furthermore, over a fifth (22%) worry about being bullied online and a quarter (24%) have received negative comments on their social media channels. The same study has shown that over half (53%) of school children in the region have suffered some form of bullying.
François Petry, CEO of Aggregate Industries, said: “Clearly, the internet and social media has changed the way children experience bullying, providing an instantaneous, 24/7 avenue for bullying to take place – which, unfortunately, can be all too difficult to spot.
“Whether in person, on a social media site, or through a mobile phone, the effects of any form of bullying can be devastating for the young person involved. We hope this latest phase of our Give Bullying the Boot campaign will therefore provide some helpful guidance around cyber bullying, providing any pupils who may be affected with the tools needed to take action and speak up.”
Chris Rose, head of brand at Leicester Tigers, added: “It was great to see the positive response we’ve had this year with the ‘Give Bullying the Boot’ campaign.
“We felt it was important to continue to provide even more support for schools and pupils on the issue of cyber-bullying and have linked up with our official charity partner Warning Zone to deliver some engaging sessions for the duration of the Spring term.”
The ‘Give Bullying the Boot’ campaign forms part of the two organisations’ Concrete Rugby initiative, which champions a healthy lifestyle, team work and self-confidence in young people through the introduction of key rugby skills.
