BULLYING MEETS ITS MATCH
A groundbreaking online program is making the battle against school bullying much easier to tackle, thanks to Rachel Downe, the teacher and founder of Stymie
DOZENS of Gold Coast schools are signing up for an online anti-bullying program in a bid to tackle cyberbullies.
Australian program Stymie allows students to
anonymously report bullying and harm via an online form which asks their school, year group and details of the incident.
The information is then sent through to the school’s principal seconds after it is submitted.
For the program’s founder
and director, Rachel Downie, herself a teacher, it is a chance to combat something she has seen students struggle with for more than 20 years.
“After a number of years teaching in my community one of my Year 9 boys took his life,” she said.
“After he died the students started coming forward and telling us some pretty important information about what was going on in his life.
“I guess I just had this light bulb moment that obviously they didn’t come forward at the time because they were frightened about the consequences.
“But if we’d had some of that information I still believe to this day we probably would have been able to help him.”
That belief sparked a passion in Ms Downie to establish Stymie, its name meaning “to stop or thwart” to echo her drive to put a stop to all kinds of bullying.
“I am so grateful to Australian students, because at the end of the day I made this for them,” she said.
“It’s an amazing idea but … if the kids didn’t use it truthfully and responsibly it wouldn’t be a thing. They’re the ones who really evolved this into a powerful tool.
“It wouldn’t matter how many cool posters I made or anything like that, the kids are in charge of this.”
Upper Coomera State College is one of the Gold Coast schools already part of the program, with a spokeswoman saying it’s enabling “early intervention” by their staff.
“The program encourages students to make notifications through Stymie that can help reduce levels of anxiety associated with concealing stressful information,” she said.
“Experiencing or witnessing bullying and harm may hinder the student’s ability to learn, being emotionally stressed disengages their brain and takes them out of their learning.
“We at Upper Coomera State College have found this program to be highly beneficial by guiding students in the right direction if they have experienced or witnessed bullying or harm.”