The theme for the fourth annual Bullying-Free Week (13 to 17 May 2019) was ‘Whakanuia Tōu Āhua Ake! Celebrating Being Us!’ It was an opportunity for students to celebrate what makes them unique – such as talents, interests, appearance, disability, culture, race, gender or sexuality.
Schools that encourage respect, value opinions, celebrate difference, and promote positive relationships make it difficult for bullying behaviour to thrive or be tolerated. Supporting diversity, talking about bullyilng and working together. encourages schools to build environments where everyone is welcome, safe and free from bullying.
Bullying-Free NZ Week 2019 resources
- Bullying-Free NZ Week 2019 FREE Activity Pack - Full of ideas and activities for students and staff. Check it out! Download BFNZ Week 2019 activity pack FINAL [6.2 MB, pdf]
- Bullying-Free NZ Week 2019 DIY Poster - Use the template to create your own school poster for Bullying-Free NZ Week 2019. Download BFNZ DIY Poster 2019 [286 KB, docx]
Be Heard 2019: a media guide for schools
- Help tell your community about your school’s bullying prevention activities. Download Be Heard 2019 a media guide for schools [1.2 MB, pdf]
Ideas for year-round bullying prevention activities across the whole school
Bullying prevention is an ongoing focus. Use the Bullying-Free NZ resources to support work all year round. Here are some quick and simple ways to get your school talking about bullying at any time of the year.
- Run one of the easy classroom activities in this year’s free school activity pack [PDF, 6.2 MB] to get students talking about bullying and what they can do to prevent it.
- Use the posters for primary and intermediate schools in the classroom – you can order more copies (free) from info@bullyingfree.nz.
- Inform parents: Link to the guide for parents and whānau [PDF, 682 KB] in your school newsletter.
- Plan a discussion with the Board of Trustees, using A Guide for Boards of Trustees to help Boards of Trustees build on good practice and identify actions for their school and its needs.
- Review and plan your whole-school approach to bulling prevention using the roadmap, a simple tool that guides schools through steps to tackle bullying and incorporate the nine elements
Pink Shirt Day
Bullying-Free NZ Week ended with the Mental Health Foundation's Pink Shirt Day.
Celebrated annually around the globe, Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying, mobilising their whole-school, after a peer was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Pink Shirt Day aims to create schools, workplaces and communities where all people feel safe, valued and respected.