Year 10

On Wednesday 27 May 2020, Year 10 students participated in an Anti-Bullying Workshop titled 'Being a Better Person and a Better Friend'. The aim is to make McCarthy Catholic College a Bully free community. The workshop was presented by Mr McManus and provided the students with the following information:

• clear definitions of what bullying is and isn't
• different examples and types of bullying
• examination of some of the impacts of bullying
• exploration of some of the dangers inherent in social media use
• outline of strategies on what to do when experiencing bullying

Overall, students found the workshop very informative. Below are some of the messages students took away from the presentation:

• "bullying being ongoing/repeated behaviour"
• "the importance of resilience in helping a student overcome bullying behaviour"
• "important not to react negatively to a bully as this only encourages their behaviour to continue"
• "‘bullying is a misuse of power that causes harm to the victim"
• "bullying is unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour and in some instances is unlawful"

At the completion of the workshop students were asked to sign a register to acknowledge their attendance and understanding of the content presented in the workshop. The declaration read:

‘I have attended the session ‘Being a Better Person and a Better Friend: Taking a Stand Against Bullying’ and have been informed about what bullying is and isn’t. I understand that bullying is a misuse of power that causes harm to the victim. I understand that bullying is unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour and in some instances is unlawful.’

Mr Andrew Davy  - Year 10 Leader of Student Care