Acting out the bullying drama

THE number of children affected by bullying in Ireland would fill the Aviva Stadium three times over.

So says Patricia Kennedy, founder of Sticks & Stones, the internationally-recognised Irish anti-bullying initiative. Kennedy was bullied by a teacher when she was in fifth class and knows well “that stomach-churning, gut-wrenching feeling of just not wanting to go to school”.

Kennedy and Sticks & Stones have been short-listed for the 2014 Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards. She has strong views on how children are perceived in relation to bullying. “There’s a real need to stop regarding schoolchildren just as victims and empower them to see how they can play a positive, pro-active role. If we don’t involve kids in the solution, we won’t really maximise our efforts to eradicate school bullying.”