Sunny Side Up: Breaking the cycle of bullying

Adolescents live intensely in the present, with their sense of consequences blurred by the immediacy of peer approval. They can be cruel without pausing to think about what their actions might mean for someone else. — Graphic: 123rf

October marks National Bullying Prevention Month in some countries, and serves as a reminder to us all to help foster kindness, understanding, and inclusion, especially among young people.

As a mental health counsellor, I’m always keen to understand what makes a message stick and campaigns effective. What doesn’t work is providing simplistic messages to complex problems or when efforts are reactive rather than proactive and ongoing.