COVID-19 & bullying behaviour_
During these unprecedented times with the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains as important as ever to discuss bullying behaviour. At The Diana Award, we train young people across the UK and internationally to be Upstanders to bullying; this extends to racist and discriminatory behaviour you may see online. and racist/prejudicial bullying behaviour.
Despite many misconceptions and fake news articles, there is no evidence at all to suggest that the spread of COVID-19 is the result of a specific race or group of people’s actions; racist bullying behaviour is illegal and classified as a hate crime under the Equality Act (2010) and this means it is extremely important to be an Upstander when you spot racist or defamatory fake news which targets or blames a specific group of people. Report this content that you see online and promote positivity and kindness during this time - check out our 30-day kindness challenge on Instagram for inspiration.
The Diana Award wants to encourage ACCEPTANCE during this time for everyone around the world.
A-C-C-E-P-T-A-N-C-E (to be made into a jpeg)
Accept that COVID-19 is a really hard time for a lot of us
Celebrate what support you have around you
Continue to show acts of kindness online and offline
Educate yourself on the real facts behind COVID-19
Practice meditation and/or something that you find calming
Try to be an upstander when you see bullying behaviour
Avoid blaming specific people or groups of people for COVID-19
Never encourage or spread information that promotes bullying behaviour
Channel your efforts into learning something new during this time
Encourage others to not share fake news and instead share positive messages
Further Support_
The Diana Award has developed further online resources and training for parents, teachers and young people during this time. Check out www.antibullyingpro.com/resources
If you have been affected by racist/prejudicial bullying behaviour or bullying behaviour in general, you can use The Diana Award Crisis Messenger, which provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK. If you are a young person in crisis, you can text DA to 85258. Trained volunteers will listen to how you’re feeling and help you think the next step towards feeling better.
