Media Release
22 October 2014

‘Buddy’ creation gets Bay of Plenty adults talking about child abuse prevention

School children at Mount Maunganui Intermediate School are donning their creative hats in support of New Zealand’s annual child abuse prevention awareness day, Buddy Day, which is happening in the Tauranga on Friday, 14 November 2014.

‘Buddy Day’ revolves around life-size cardboard ‘Buddies’ that are adopted by adults, taken into communities and workplaces, and used as a tool to generate conversations about the wellbeing of our children - and that it’s up to all of us to keep kids safe.

All 550 Mount Maunganui Intermediate School students are joining kids from across Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington this term to decorate Buddies in preparation for adults to ‘care’ for them on Buddy Day.

Mount Maunganui Intermediate School senior teacher Mary Woods said the school, which was also involved in Buddy creation last year, is privileged to be a part of the lead-up to the event.

“Last year four of our classrooms decorated Buddies and the student reaction was awesome. They went home and shared their learning with parents and caregivers about what makes them unique, and their basic need for protection.

“This year we are excited to get all 18 classrooms, plus our teachers and parents on board. During the school holidays students collected materials to decorate their buddies upon return.

“Our participation in Buddy Day is a way of taking ownership for what is a significant issue in New Zealand,” she said.

Chief executive of national child advocacy organisation Child Matters, Anthea Simcock, said every adult can take proactive steps to keep children safe.

“Educating the adult population about the key things they can do in their daily lives to keep kids safe is what Buddy Day is all about. This year we’ve developed an informational brochure that every Buddy Carer will receive and it’s available on our website. It has handy tips for keeping kids safe on the sport field, in school, at social gatherings and other very common situations.

“Most people think child abuse is something that happens to ‘other people,’ and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. But the reality is that there’s something every adult can do; children can’t prevent child abuse, adults can.

“Our key message during Buddy Day is that every adult can take a few simple, proactive steps that can greatly minimise the likelihood of child abuse happening at some point in the future.

“The great thing about Buddy Day is that it is a true community participation event – anyone can be involved, there’s no cost to participate. We simply ask our Buddy Carers to spread the message of Buddy Day, and spark conversations with others about what we all can do to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children.”

Child abuse directly affects around one quarter of New Zealand’s population. CYFs figures to June 2013 show there have been more than 22,984 confirmed cases of child abuse in the past year; that’s approximately 63 every day.

Mrs Simcock said child abuse has been described as New Zealand’s single most important public health challenge, costing the country around $2billion annually in health, prison and other related costs.

According to Mrs Simcock, putting children at the centre of Buddy creation is an important part of the campaign.

“Creating the Buddies is a lot of fun for children who get to learn about what a child needs to be safe, happy and healthy. The message for kids during Buddy creation is that adults are here to care for them and love them,” she said.

In total 1500 Buddies will be created by school children across Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington this term.

To register as a Carer or for more information about Buddy Day visit www.buddyday.org.nz
Buddy Day can be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/buddydaynz, Twitter at #buddyday_nz and Instagram #buddydaynz.

Child Matters runs Buddy Day - New Zealand’s only public event which brings awareness to the issue of child abuse into the wider community and the role every adult has in keeping children safe. Sovereign Insurance is the principal sponsorship partner for Buddy Day.

-ENDS-

About Buddy Day:

This year 1500 Buddies will be decorated by schoolchildren and adopted by Carers on Buddy Day.

Buddy Day has two components:

Buddies are created by school children, September – October:

• The school term before Buddy Day, school children create Buddies from blank, life-sized cardboard cut-outs.
• Each ‘Buddy’ is given its own name and life story that is written by the children who decorate them.

Buddies are adopted by Carers on Buddy Day, Friday, 14 November:

• Carers are adults who adopt the decorated, cardboard Buddies for the day only. This year Buddy Day is 14 November and is being held in Hamilton, Central Auckland, Central Wellington and Tauranga.
• On 14 November the 1500 Carers collect their Buddies at a breakfast event in their city where they are also briefed about their responsibilities for the day.
• Carers take their ‘Buddy’ with them for the day – to the office, to meetings, to lunch, or running errands. The more places Buddy visits the better!
• When people in the community see Carers with their Buddy, this opens up conversations about the responsibility of every adult in our community to keep kids safe.

© Scoop Media