Put on a pair of odd socks as children across NI unite against bullying

National TV star Andy is calling on schools and youth organisations across the province to join together for their first ever link up with Odd Socks Day on Monday, November 16, he and his band will launch new charity single ‘The Kids Are United’.

The song’s video, made by hundreds of pupils in their ‘bubbles’ in schools across the country, encourages young and old alike to wear odd socks to school or work and celebrate what makes us all unique, for one massively colourful, zany, slightly loopy anti-bullying drive, each of us with different colours and patterns on each foot. The video features 11-year-old dance sensation, Princess K, sharing fresh moves in support of Anti Bullying Week, as well as the Libera boys choir, a hugely popular and internationally renowned group of singers from South London.

Andy and the band will be sharing their song and discussing bullying in an online assembly to schools across Ulster on the morning of Odd Socks Day, which also features messages of support from athlete Mo Farah, and popstars McFly and Anne-Marie.

And despite new restrictions put in place to limit the spread of Covid, Anti Bullying Week will remain be jampacked with online resources, activities, campaigns and more.

To take part, students simply don odd socks to go to school or college. Those taking part are asked to make a donation if they feel it appropriate to support the ongoing drive to reduce bullying.

Last year Odd Socks Day saw 56 per cent of UK school children take part but this year the campaign hopes to reach even more young people as it makes its way here for the very first time.

Speaking about the event, Andy Day, who has been supporting Anti Bullying Week for the past three years and has released a charity single to help get more children onboard, said: “Because of the pandemic, kids have missed out on so many of the things that they love. Each and every child will have a story to tell about the different ways it has affected them. Now they are back at school, we are all responsible for equipping children with the simple message that we are all different, and that’s a good thing! To bring the message home, we’ve recorded a brilliant new charity song and video especially for Anti-Bullying Week called ‘The Kids Are United’. We spoke to school children all over the country to help write the rap and we hope it inspires everyone to get involved or at the very least to get up and dance!”

Anti-Bullying Week in Northern Ireland is coordinated by the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (NIABF), an interagency group managed by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) and funded by the Department of Education. The event here this year is supported by Translink and Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI).

Celine McStravick is director of the National Children’s Bureau in Northern Ireland which are hosts of the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum and organisers of Anti Bullying Week, which has been held annually now for 15 years.

The forum is a collection of over 20 different organisations in Northern Ireland coming together to end bullying in schools and youth organisations. They develop resources that can be used by teachers and parents, help support different anti-bullying policies in schools and help raise the profile of what is a vital issue - that bullying is wrong, should not be tolerated, and “that it is everybody’s responsibility to do what they can to eradicate it,” says Celine.

“Bullying can be very difficult to tackle and we know that it has very long-term effects on those who experience it, and also on those who witness it. Stopping bullying is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. These days, with new virtual platforms available, bullying is happening not only in the classroom and the playground but also online.” This of course means forms of abuse can become all-pervasive, occurring long after the school gates have closed and indeed cyber bullying is now a very well documented problem and a real scourge for the younger generation who have been exposed to tech in ways previous generations never were.

“Anti-Bullying Week is really about appealing to parents, teachers and your peer group to get our heads together and find ways of addressing this issue so that no child or young person has to suffer it,” adds Celine. “Have you seen anyone experience bullying? What can you do to stop it? Are you going through this yourself? Do you feel you have someone to confide in who will listen and help?

“How I would define bullying is really someone using their own power to degrade or hurt or humiliate another person in some way. We all know it when we see it. And it can be physical or mental abuse.”

According to the last research undertaken by the Department of Education the number of children who had experienced bullying in some form in Northern Ireland stood at a vastly alarming 50 per cent.

But next week they hope to release new data that will give us a more precise and up-to-date picture of bullying levels in schools.

“Today we have to be especially careful to ask children what bullying is like in the online world as well as in real life because social media has made the experience of bullying different and there is no doubt about that.

“We want people to understand that it is never acceptable in whatever form it takes or via whatever platform it occurs.”

Deirdre McAliskey, assistant director at the National Children’s Bureau, added: “This year, more than ever, we have experienced the inspirational capacity that society has when it comes together to tackle a common challenge. By channelling our power for good, through shared efforts and collective responsibility, we can reduce bullying together. We want children and young people to parents, carers, teachers and politicians to all play a role in uniting against bullying. This is everyone’s business, not just those directly affected.”

Gillian Cuthbert, chair of the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (NIABF), said: “United Against Bullying is a very apt theme for this year’s event and despite everything that’s going on around us, we feel it is more important than ever to be consistent with our efforts to erase this harmful kind of behaviour.

“This year’s Anti Bullying Week will feature a range of campaigns including Odd Socks Day. This will be a great initiative to allow children to embrace their differences and have discussions about being unique and how we all play a part in solving this puzzle. It’s also a simple campaign that doesn’t put pressure on families and children to spend on expensive fancy dress costumes or something new, just don two mismatched socks and think how our differences make us special - they make us who we are.”

Translink has actively supported Anti-Bullying Week for the last 12 years and will once again support this year’s campaign by delivering key messages around the theme of respect in stations, on buses and on trains, as John Thompson, Translink health and safety manager, said: “Our stations and services provide an excellent platform to deliver important anti-bullying messages and ensure people know support is out there if and when they need it.”

The Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI), which has a long association with NIABF, has come on board as one of the week’s sponsors. Director Helen McKenzie, said: “We’ve joined as official sponsors to help ensure that children and young people know they should enjoy both physical and emotional safety whether at home, at play or in education or training.”

Anti Bullying Week 2020 runs from November 16 to 20. To download a free Anti Bullying Week resource pack and find out more visit www.endbullying.org.uk