Last week a group of pupils from Years 8, 10 and 12 spent the day at Leighton Park School training to become Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. By the end of the day not only had they discussed the issues surrounding anti-social behaviour in schools but they had also started to plan their own programme which will be introduced at Shiplake over the coming months.
The Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme is run by The Diana Award, a charity legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales. With support from Princes William and Harry, it aims to "foster, develop and inspire positive change in the lives of young people."
Over the course of a day punctuated by varied activities and challenging discussions, pupils explored the myths and facts surrounding bullying. Trainers Robbie and Thea challenged them to reflect on their own experiences and schools and to look for ways to change perceptions and challenge behaviour. Whether they realised it at the time or not, every activity was designed to equip the future Ambassadors with the knowledge and skills required to go back to school and be vigilant, proactive and creative in their roles. The Diana award pledges that "through training events and ongoing support we give them the inspiration, practical ideas and top tips they need to prevent bullying and ensure everyone feels safe and happy in their school."
Towards the end of the day delegates were shown films of current schemes in schools where Ambassadors have really made a difference. The challenge given to our fledgling Ambassadors was to pick a number of schemes which appealed to them and which they felt would work at Shiplake. A final session saw them agreeing on which schemes they would bring back to school. Ideas and opinions flew across the table in a real frenzy of activity! It was wonderful to see such commitment and enthusiasm from all ten of our delegates.
Deputy Head Pastoral Nick Brown, who accompanied our pupils on the training day said: "I was extremely proud of all the pupils that took part in the conference. They participated enthusiastically and in such a mature fashion. They spoke eloquently and confidently in front of strangers and contributed a huge amount to the success of the day.
"Our Ambassadors are determined to make a difference and will be making their presence felt around the school. Over the next week or so they will be putting the finishing touches to their plans and then putting their training into practice."
Our new Anti-Bullying Ambassadors are: F Brown, J Burgess, J Coe, L Fahey, A Galpin, S Gillen, Z Lloyd, J Lucking, J Murray and R O'Keefe.
