The Mix FM Network is spearheading a national initiative, which has culminated today in Say No To Bullying National Action Day. The ARN network got behind this issue with all its breakfast teams dedicating the week to interviews and content aimed at raising awareness, chatting with experts and providing positive advise. Other stations also backed the initiative, including 3SR FM, where breakfast presenter Greg Evans dedicated his entire show this morning to anti–bullying.
Endorsed by the Department of Education and supported by the ACMA, the national action day aims to help educate parents and family on how they can take a stand and help their children overcome issues through positive and effective discussions, case studies and examples.
The initiative was started 3 years ago by Brisbane’s 97.3FM, with the Department of Education and Training coming on board last year to endorse the National Day of Action.
Parents, educators and families are urged to help create safe, supportive learning environments for all school students. Orange is the colour for Say No To Bullying Day and the MixFM network will be encouraging listeners to wear orange shirts and ribbons on the day.
ARN’s National Content Director, Duncan Campbell says: “For the MixFM audience across Australia, the topic of bullying is an extremely emotive one and Say No To Bullying week is an initiative by all our breakfast shows to highlight this issue and the fact that the impact it has on people’s lives whether directly or indirectly is very real.”
Some of the topics that have been covered over the week include: What makes a bully? What makes someone the target of bullying? Cyber bullying – when bullying happens online, Former bullies and guilt. During the coverage, celebrities sent messages of support, experts were interviewed and listeners called in to share their stories and experiences.
From 6am through to 9am 95 3SR FM’s Greg Evans spent the entire program interviewing over 10 people who have either been affected by bullying or spend each day working against bullying and encouraging listeners to call in and share their own experiences with bullying.
95 3SR FM’s first guest for the morning was Oscar Yildiz who is the founder of the new Bullying Hotline set up for those being bullied and others affected by it. Other members of the program included local McGuire Secondary College Principle Wayne Hills and Inspector Ian Bull from the Shepparton Police who spoke together regarding school yard bullying.
Undoubtedly one of the main problems in the Goulburn Valley is cyber bullying with 2 young teenagers in the region committing suicide since the start of 2012. As most of our guest, including Dr. Sharman Stone, Federal Member for Murray and Damien Stevens, Community Development worker said, “Enough is enough.”
When speaking on the reason for backing the National Day against Bullying and Violence, Greg Evans’s Breakfast Producer Mandy Turner told radioinfo “Everybody has been affected by bullying or knows someone who has. When I noticed the national day against bullying and violence was happening, I wanted to recognise it here in the GV, especially after in a matter of months, there were two deaths in Shepparton as a result of cyber bullying.”
Bullying is an issue that needs to be stopped and 95 3SR FM says it will continue to join the local community to make this happen.