Aldershot Town striker Brett Williams has given his support to the Hampshire-based NoMoreBullying campaign set-up by Fleet teenager Brandon Henry.
Henry established NoMoreBullying last year as a response to the harassment experienced by his girlfriend, both at school and online, and has held events and spoken at school assemblies to raise awareness of the subject. Henry said: “People should not have to go through such a traumatic time in their life. I just simply want people to be happy. I want to achieve that. I started this campaign and I’m going to see it work.”
“It’s not big or clever to intimidate or bully others. Being a footballer means always being a team player,” continued Williams. “On the pitch, aggression and intimidation will lead to you being sent off or banned from matches, which means letting your team, fans and officials down as well as yourself. Something no footballer wants to happen to them. There is no place for bullies in football or any other sport.”
Supported by the Safer North Hampshire team, NoMoreBullying have produced an information leaflet for victims, bullies, teachers and parents on how to deal with issues surrounding bullying. The campaign hopes to promote early intervention in cases of bullying, and to help bullies understand the impact that their behaviour has on other people.
Whether physical, verbal or emotional, bullying can cause serious and long-lasting problems. Conservative estimates suggest that at least 20 young people each year commit suicide as a result of bullying in the UK, whilst boys who bully others at school are more likely to receive criminal convictions in early adulthood.
NoMoreBullying has created an online survey for any pupil who currently attends a secondary school in North Hampshire, the initial results of which already show that 82% of young people have been bullied. To take part in the survey, please visit www.hart.gov.uk/bullying-survey.
