• Canberra Raiders prop Sam Mataora, captain Terry Campese and rookie Matt Allwood with Eden Public School vice-captain Charlotte Seymour, Nikai Stewart, NRL development officer for the South Coast Damien Kennedy, Jeremiah Bamblett and Brett Williams.
Eden Public School kids learnt new skills to tackle bullying during a visit by the Canberra Raiders yesterday (Wednesday). The visit was part of a National Rugby League community initiative and builds on the school’s anti-bullying policy.
Children watched a DVD starring league legends Andrew Ryan, Nathan Hindmarsh, Hazem El Masri and Mario Fenech before a workshop with captain Terry Campese, prop Sam Mataora and rookie Matt Allwood.
One in five kids are bullied at some stage of their school careers and the consequences affect both the victims and the perpetrators.
Leaving someone out, encouraging mean behaviour, spreading rumours, lying or even standing by and watching these things happen to someone else are all considered bullying.
If you or someone you know are experiencing this behaviour at school you can use the STAMP method: S - Stay away from bullies, T - Tell someone, A - Avoid bad situations, M - Make friends and P - Project confidence.
School vice-captain Charlotte Seymour said both sides of the story should be heard.
“That can be hard, so if I see bullying I tell them both to walk away or go and talk to a teacher about it,” she said.
According to the school’s policy, reported bullying is investigated by the assistant principal and discussed with the principal before action is taken.
Action may include a verbal warning, talking about making better choices, isolation, meetings with parents and meetings with a councillor.
