17TH MAY 2016

Ministry of Social Development And Charity ‘Be the Change NZ’ Unite to Prevent Bullying.

A design team was created 14 months ago with the aim to create positive safe environments for communities by reducing the negative impact of bullying on young people in Christchurch, through a pro-social change initiative. This began via a ‘user centred design approach’ that involved a cross-section of young people, their whānau and teachers in a co-design process.

This approach has put young people at the centre to help come up with a solution to the complexities surrounding bullying and how it can be prevented through the creation of positive, safe environments. Experiences of bullying for young people have been sought to understand the issue of bullying, our audience and the needs that exist.

Young people and their parents have also been involved in providing feedback on potential solutions, and this has contributed to the campaign launching this week via a competition. It is open to students Years 7-13 and young people up to 24 years. To enter, they need to come up with a short script showing bullying and the difference between being a Bystander and an Upstander. The script should only be about a minute long, and can be a written script, drawn script (like a comic), or a recorded clip of you explaining a script. Every entry wins from an assortment of goodies such as - vouchers, a laptop, go-pro, drink bottles, tees, stickers, anti-stress balls, tote bags and more, but the top prize is extremely exciting for young people – you win the chance to star in your own YouTube video with Grace Palmer (Shortland Street) and Jason Gunn (More FM Drive Show Host/TV Presenter)! The competition closes on June 8th and filming is rumored to be in mid-June.

Project Manager Vicki Edwards-Brown from charity Be The Change NZ says “The Ministry of Social Development have enabled us to create a mega ‘one-stop-bully-stop-stop’ that is truly unique because it is designed BY youth FOR youth and their whānau. #Upstand is a fantastic campaign that will not only educate people about bullying i.e. what exactly IS bullying/what to do if you’re being bullied etc, but also empower people to stand up, be an Upstander and say “it’s just not ok anymore”. Visit www.upstand.org for full details.

About Be The Change NZ/Kia Tu Hurihanga Aotearoa

Be the Change NZ is the first evidence-based programme in New Zealand that responds directly to youth-specific issues via empowering presentation, workshops and pro-social events. They offer large bodies of young people, their whanau, schools and communities the chance to connect; to be a part of the process of creating change; and stay actively involved as they build positive change into their lives – hence preventing common issues such as bullying, depression, and other anti-social behaviours. For more information log on to:

www.bethechangenz.org

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