12/11/10
Teen mentor programme helps stamp out bullying at local school
A Port Talbot teenager who was bullied when he started secondary school is now providing support and advice for other young people, thanks to an innovative anti-bullying project.
Jamie Stevenson a year 11 student at Glen Afan Comprehensive School found friendship and key listening and problem solving skills as part of his school’s Bullies Out Peer Mentoring Programme which encourages older students to support younger students who are experiencing bullying. Jamie now volunteers to help other children who are being bullied or are facing a difficult time at school.
The highly successful programme is being highlighted by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of next week’s Anti-Bullying Week in order to help young people across Wales recognise and stop bullying and to support those who are being bullied.
Latest figures from the Welsh Assemble Government indicate that around 30% of 10-12 year olds had been bullied in some way over a two month sampling period. And 15% of 14-15 year olds say they have been bullied over the same period. Despite this, there is some evidence the level of bullying has declined in Wales since 2005/06 which may in part be due to some of the programmes that run within schools and are encouraged by the Assembly Government.
Jamie, 15, is one of 30 peer mentors who are trained to listen to problems, resolve conflicts, log incidents and identify cases that need adult intervention. Students who have concerns, problems or wish to report incidents are encouraged to approach a peer mentor. All problems are logged in a book and reviewed daily by a teacher.
Jamie is now the head boy and uses his experience to help others. “When I started secondary school I was bullied by a few of the older students. It was scary but I felt uncomfortable speaking to an adult, so I went to one of the peer mentors. Being able to talk to someone who knew what it was like and who could relate to my experience really helped. Eventually the bullying stopped and I became happier at school and more confident.
“The help I had from the peer mentors, inspired me to volunteer to be a mentor. Everyday I have the opportunity to help people who are having trouble at school. Knowing that I’m contributing to someone else’s life in a positive way is a really good feeling. I hope that the other students know I’m there for them, just like a mentor was there for me when I was feeling down.”
Andrew Owen, Deputy Head Teacher at Glen Afan Comprehensive has seen the benefits of the programme: “Not all students are comfortable approaching a teacher when they have a problem and the mentoring programme enables them to speak with a trained peer. Some problems such as being nervous about starting at a larger school, worrying about forgetting a piece of homework or making a new groups of friends can be resolved by the mentors, while larger problems are often escalated to teachers who can then intervene in a way that is sensitive to all members involved.
“The programme has been a real success at our school and we’ll continue to use it to support our students and to spread the anti-bulling message.”
Education Minister Leighton Andrews said anti-bullying week is a valuable opportunity for teachers, parents and students to discuss bullying issues and how to implement anti-bullying measures:
“Any form of bullying is unacceptable and we have to learn to deal with it as effectively as possible to avoid the potential long-term damage it can have on some young people. It’s important that education professionals have the right skills and tools to recognise when a child is being bullied so they can resolve the problem and put preventative measures in place. I hope Anti-Bullying week will enable professionals, parents and students to share best practise and learn from each others’ experiences.”
