Act Against Bullying facts for kids

Act Against Bullying (AAB) is a charity in the United Kingdom that helps children who are being bullied. It was started in 2003 by Louise Burfitt-Dons. The charity gives secret advice to kids who need it and also teaches the public about the problem of bullying.

The AAB website has lots of helpful information and supportive messages. It covers all types of bullying, especially the kind that hurts your feelings, called psychological bullying. The site also gives advice on specific problems like being left out on purpose (exclusion bullying) and cyberbullying.

Everyone who works for the charity is a volunteer. AAB believes in being positive and encouraging. Its main goal is to stop the serious harm that bullying can cause. The charity teaches that kindness is the best way to fight against bullying.

How the Charity Started

The story of AAB began in 2000. A writer named Louise Burfitt-Dons was worried because her daughter was being bullied at school. She felt that just telling kids to report bullying wasn't always enough and could sometimes make things worse.

So, in 2001, she wrote 40 short plays, or monologues, for teachers. These plays showed what modern bullying looks like and gave kids ideas on how to handle it. "I didn't realise what I had started," Louise said about her work.

In 2002, a group of volunteers formed the voluntary organisation Act Against Bullying. They started by giving out leaflets about "exclusion bullying," which is when someone is deliberately left out to make them feel bad. The group wanted to help people understand the long-term effects of their actions.

The group began to get donations and officially became a registered charity in October 2003.

What Does the Charity Do?

Act Against Bullying has run many different programs and campaigns to spread its message of kindness.

Cool to be Kind Campaign

This is the charity's main campaign. It started in 2001 with talks in schools. The campaign's motto was, 'Don't be Rude, Don't Exclude, Don't Push In, Don't Hurt To Win, It's Cool to be Kind'.

Since 2005, this campaign is celebrated every November during Anti-Bullying Week. Schools can download posters and other materials from the AAB website. They can also give out special "kindness certificates" to reward students for good behaviour.

CyberKind Campaign

Cyberbullying can be extra hurtful because people can do it without revealing who they are. AAB's CyberKind campaign was created to fight this. The campaign's goal is to make being nice online a normal and cool thing to do.

It was launched at the House of Lords on Armistice Day in 2009.

Grade Not Degrade Campaign

AAB believes that some TV shows and media stories can encourage bullying. The "Grade Not Degrade" campaign asked TV channels and the media regulator OFCOM to show less aggression. The charity felt this would help reduce copycat bullying in schools and in general.

Public Education

The founder, Louise Burfitt-Dons, gives speeches to teach people about bullying. She talks about how bullying has changed over time and the negative effects it has on young people. She also discusses trends like happy slapping, where people film themselves attacking someone.

AAB in the Public Eye

Act Against Bullying became well-known in the media. It had many notable volunteers, including experts on law and safety. Many celebrities also supported the charity by appearing at its events, such as singer Hayley Westenra and athlete Duaine Ladejo.

The Jade Goody Story

A reality TV star named Jade Goody helped the charity after attending one of its events in 2005. However, in 2007, the charity ended its connection with her. This happened after Jade was accused of bullying another contestant on the TV show Celebrity Big Brother.

AAB put a statement on its website. It said that the TV show's format seemed to approve of confrontational behaviour. The charity made it clear that Jade was never an official spokesperson. The founder explained that Jade had been a guest at an event and had supported them, but was not officially linked to AAB.

The person who was bullied on the show, Shilpa Shetty, later offered her support to the charity.

Other Supporters

Other media personalities have worked with AAB. Jen Hunter, who was made fun of on a TV show for her height, was one. Another Big Brother contestant, Liza Jeynes, asked AAB for help after being cyberbullied.

The charity also worked with the martial arts duo Strike, who were finalists on Britain's Got Talent in 2008. In the same year, a fashion show in Cardiff was held to support the charity. AAB's campaign messages even appeared in The Inbetweeners Movie.