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Parenting: Fighting back against the bullies with a war of words
Ripon graphic designer Monica Gabb was bullied at school. Now she has written a book to help school children to deal with bullying.
Being bullied at school is every child's worse fear and despite the best efforts of schools and charities, the sad fact of bullying remains.
Much of Monica Gabb's early school years were blighted by bullying.
"I was bullied myself at primary school and remember vividly the fear and trepidation I felt on a regular basis."
But now the 27-year-old freelance graphic designer and lecturer at Harrogate College is determined to turn those early years of pain and suffering into something positive.
She has written a book which is being supported by the Harrogate charity Bullying UK.
"I'm hoping that my book will encourage children to discuss bullying with their parents and teachers. Many victims keep it to themselves in fear that telling someone would make things worse."
Words Don't Hurt is an extended poem with illustrations, aimed primarily at six to 14-year-olds, and charts a young person's experience of being bullied at school.
Monica wrote, illustrated and designed the book and set up her own publishing company, Mimo Publications, to have it printed.
The book has already received high praise from a number of anti-bullying organisations, as well as author Caroline Smailes, famous for her best-selling book on child abuse, In Search of Adam.
Caroline said: "I was bullied for five years. Words Don't Hurt is the most creative and inspiring book on bullying that I have ever read."
Harrogate-based national charity, Bullying UK, is selling Monica's book through its website, www.bullying.co.uk and Monica, who lives in Ripon, is donating 10 per cent of all sale proceeds directly to the charity.
Bullying UK was founded in 1999 and is the country's foremost anti-bullying charity website, offering free information and advice to victims of bullying and their families. Its founder, John Carnell, said: "Words Don't Hurt is one of the most creative and moving books
I have read tackling the subject of school bullying. It is both thought-provoking and beautifully illustrated and will resonate with millions of young people.
"It is a great resource for schools to have to help pupils deal with bullies and bullying."
To order a copy of the book, which costs 5.95, visit www.mimoweb.co.uk.
The parenting helpline and website Parentline Plus has launched a new website to help parents worried their child might be being bullied. For more information, visit www.besomeonetotell.org.uk
Yorkshire charity a champion for victims of bullying
Bullying UK has received a TalkTalk Innovation in the Community Award for its poster project which has saved schools more than 34,000 over the last year.
To mark Anti-Bullying Week (November 17-21) the Harrogate charity has received a grant of 2,000 to help expand its ground-breaking project Click, Create and Print in new directions. The project uses mobile technology called QR codes combined with an online poster creator. The website www.bullying. co.uk/poster allows any young person to make their own anti-bullying poster. On each poster are two special codes. When snapped with a mobile phone camera, they allow the user to access a digital copy of the poster that can then be shared with other young people via MMS or Bluetooth. A second code allows access to the charity's mobile advice site www.bullying.co.uk.
The project was funded with donations from the family and friends of Ben Vodden, the 11-year-old Sussex schoolboy who killed himself in 2006 after being bullied on the school bus. So far, more than 10,000 unique posters with a tribute to Ben have been created by schools all over the UK.
John Carnell, founder and CEO of Bullying UK said: "We are proud to be recognised by TalkTalk as one of the UK's most innovative charities.
"Eighteen months ago, we identified QR codes as being key to the uptake of the mobile web. Even if people are in a rush they can snap the code from the poster and get immediate help from our mobile website."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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