Students ready to defeat online bullies

School students at risk of being bullied online have been given vital life skills.

BULLYING: Palmwoods State School deputy principal Allan Petts joined students and Interrelate staff to conquer bullying.

SCHOOL students at risk of being bullied online have been given vital life skills after a visit from Interrelate's Anti-Bullying Roadshow.

The not-for-profit organisation visited Palmwoods State School as part of a two-week Queensland trip to provide students and teachers with critical skills included in its Bullying Awareness Program, Cyber safe Teens and Family Evening Program.

Educator Stephanie Curtis said cyber bullying was a big concern, with one in four Australians in years four to nine reporting bullying every few weeks.

But Ms Curtis said teaching children to be "resilient and respectful" online could make all the difference.

"The chances of our young people being bullied online is quite high," Ms Curtis said.

"We need to teach our young people to be resilient but also to be respectful."

Interrelate, which helps to develop healthy and respectful relationships for life, has been delivering services in NSW and Victoria for more than 90 years, and has now been operating in Queensland since June 2019.

The program inspired students from Palmwoods State School to change their behaviours surrounding bullying and online safety.

Some students said they wouldn't put as much information in their profiles whereas others decided they "would tell a parent" if they were being bullied online.

Palmwoods State School principal Peter Wilson said the school offered several programs that aimed to develop students' "resilience and empathy".

But he said having extra help from bullying experts reinforced skills the school saw as "important competencies for people throughout their life".

"Having experts come to our school from Interrelate complements the other programs we run and helps to provide our students with the skills to help deal with bullying and how to avoid it, as well as how to communicate with others in positive respectful ways," Mr Wilson said.

Interrelate CEO Patricia Occelli said delivering the program in schools aided success by ensuring the same information was communicated to teachers, students and parents.

"When you're looking at the topic of bullying and cyber bullying, it's important that you include the whole community in the discussion so that everyone has the same understanding," Ms Occelli said.

She said visiting schools like Palmwoods State School gave the organisation a "wonderful opportunity to provide some essential tools" but it was not easy.

"Being able to deliver these programs in remote areas is difficult to achieve, especially as the schools and communities have so many constraints on their budget."

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