Our Campaign Journey!

Watch our mini documentary below!

The Problem

Bullying has been identified as a common issue among youth across New Zealand. The Human Rights Commission indicated that bullying within New Zealand schools has become a prevalent issue, which resulted in a rapidly increasing number of bullying complaints lodged with the commission over the last few years.[1] Additionally, a recent online survey, which targeted teachers across New Zealand, found a staggering 94% of the respondents expressing bullying as existing in their schools. The study also found that 70% of the respondents thought that social/relational bullying which involves spreading gossip as being the most problematic. This was followed by verbal and cyber bullying at 67% and 39% respectively. About 35% of teachers also stated that physical bullying is the most problematic in their schools.[2] 

The evidence thus shows that bullying requires our attention as well as further initiatives to combat its negative and sometimes tragic impact on individuals.

The Solution

As a solution to our identified problem, we decided to organize and execute an anti-bullying campaign, endeavoring to spread awareness about bullying issues in our communities. In doing so, we successfully utilized the networks of our group members in securing support for delivering an effective solution to the problem, through both cash, and in-kind sponsorships. Our project encouraged individuals to reach out and seek help if they are victims of bullying, and also informed them about the services that are available to them. Additionally, our project encouraged by-standers to help those who might be victims of bullying at a school, university, or their workplace. Furthermore, we also targeted those who may be bullies themselves, and encouraged them to think about the consequences of their actions and the serious effects that bullying has on others. Our awareness campaign also took place online where participants were able to engage with us, and access information about bullying which we updated regularly. As for the outdoor campaign, our aim was to hand out at least 200 balloons throughout two of our events at Auckland Girls Grammar and Auckland University. We also asked individuals to write anonymous messages on post it notes, which we posted up on our page to share their personal experiences, support, and

inspiration. These messages were supposed to act as a way of reaching out and letting others know that they are not alone if they are being bullied, and that there are others who share the same issues. Furthermore, we created a short documentary to be shared across our social media outlets. The documentary highlights our journey throughout the campaign and will be used to inspire other young people to take social action against injustices.

The Impact We Made

We have run a successful campaign where individuals have engaged with our materials and participated in our campaign against bullying. We ran a stall at Auckland Girls Grammar School and The University of Auckland where we handed out balloons, bullying related resources (flyers, pamphlets, cards) and asked our participants to support us online. We intend to keep our Facebook page going beyond the project parameters as it has gained some momentum and looks like it will continue to grow. The Ethnic liaison Officer from the NZ police also stated that the Community Development Facilitator from Auckland Council was interested in hearing more about our project as she encourages youth involvement in city planning. This may also lead to future opportunities for us to expand our project.

• We have reached and exceeded our target of handing out 200 balloons. We handed out approximately 300 balloons to our participants with whom we also engaged with.
• Our Facebook page has exceeded our target of 200 likes and is currently at 339 likes and followers.
• We have received a total of 58 personalized anonymous messages, which were dropped into our box during our 2-day outdoor campaign. This was over and above our intended outcomes originally as we came up with the idea much later on. It was a popular and engaging activity during our campaign.
• A total of 67 photos were posted on our Facebook page documenting our outdoor campaign.
• Our Facebook page has reached many individuals and we receive likes and
  comments on our content regularly.
• We have also made a documentary about our campaign journey.
• Project lead and Constable Rob Stanton from NZ Police have both delivered a
  speech at Auckland Girls Grammar School during the school assembly.
• We sought extra funding and received an additional $580 as a result.
• We have also managed to remain within our supplemented budget’s total amount of $780 during the campaign journey.
  
• We have distributed numerous bullying related resources such as pamphlets fromYouthline, NetSafe, Rainbow Youth, and the Human Rights Commission.
• As a result of our campaign, the individuals who engaged with us became more knowledgeable and aware of the issues surrounding bullying. 
• This will have a positive impact on their behaviours and actions in the future.

And Voila! 

Please visit our facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/balloonsforchange

The Team That Made It All Happen!

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References:

[1] Human Rights Commission. 2009. School violence, bullying and abuse. Wellington: Human Rights Commission.

[2] Green, V., Harcourt, S., Mattioni, L., & Prior, T. 2013. Bullying in New Zealand School: A final report. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington.