Students at Mudgee Public School were among the many across Australia who took the 'Bullying, No Way!' pledge on the seventh National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence on Friday, March 17.
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And students from Stage 2 and 3 took in a performance by special guest, motivational speaker and magician Lewis Ramsay, who dispersed the antibullying message among some eye-catching tricks.
It was a case of “come for the magic, stay for the message” and he said the key to overcoming bullies is knowing that “no one can take away who you are”.
“I use magic and illusion to captivate the attention of young people so I can speak to them about the issues they face,” he said.
“Those being bullying, self worth and self esteem.
“I think it’s about knowing who you are, and that no matter what people might say about you, if you know who you are on the inside the negative things people say won’t affect you.
“You are special, you are perfect, you’re not an accident, you’re here for a reason – that’s the message.
“If you know who you really are, no one can ever take that away from you.”
Performances included showing that a bully is like a balloon – puffing them self up only to appear to be bigger than others.
The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, held on the third Friday of March each year, is an opportunity for Australian schools to highlight their everyday work to counter bullying and violence.