His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge surprised teenage Anti-Bullying Ambassadors from The Diana Award during a video call yesterday to mark Anti-Bullying Week 2020.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge surprised teenage Anti-Bullying Ambassadors from The Diana Award during a video call yesterday to mark Anti-Bullying Week 2020.
The young people shared their experiences of bullying with The Duke and discussed how this has spurred them on to train as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors and support peers facing similar challenges.
The Duke of Cambridge heard about the impact the COVID-19 outbreak has had on levels of bullying. Despite lockdown measures being in place across the country this year, The Diana Award has reported that 46% of young people have been bullied in the past 12 months.
The Anti-Bullying Ambassadors told The Duke about how they have adapted their efforts to allow them to continue to provide support throughout the pandemic, including by taking their Anti-Bullying campaigns online.
“Young people have faced monumental changes this year. We know from our research that mental health and wellbeing is the biggest concern with many feeling isolated from their friends. Paige, Rose, Jude and Theo are passionate about tackling bullying and have continued to overcome barriers during lockdown to support their peers. We can’t be together in person for Anti-Bullying Week this year, but this surprise video meeting with The Duke of Cambridge has further motivated these young Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to continue with their work standing up to all forms of bullying.”
Tessy Ojo CBE, CEO of The Diana Award
The Diana Award is virtually bringing together over 250,000 young people, aged
5-18, from schools across the UK to participate in hands-on virtual Anti-Bullying Week workshop events. The online workshops are designed to inspire young people to creatively explore bullying issues through drama, singing, photography and dance – all led by celebrity talent.
Anti-Bullying Week is co-ordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, of which The Diana Award is a core member. The theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2020 is ‘United Against Bullying’ and takes place 16th – 20th November 2020. Get Involved.
The Diana Award runs the leading Anti-Bullying Campaign in the UK and Ireland. It has to date trained over 35,000 young people as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to tackle all forms of bullying, support students across their schools and create communities of kindness and inclusivity. The Diana Award’s free training also provides advice for education professionals and parents, giving them the skills, confidence and training to tackle bullying both online and off.
The young people who spoke to The Duke are:
Theo Broderick, 15yrs, West Midlands
Paige Keen, 14yrs, Norwich
Rose Agnew, 14yrs, Warwick
Jude Bedford, 16yrs, Cambridge
The Diana Award put the spotlight on 200 young people, spanning 45 countries, receiving the highly coveted accolade for social action or humanitarian efforts at a virtual Diana Award Ceremony.
Today sees a powerful coalition of organisations representing young voices, formed by The Diana Award, calling for urgent change in how we support young people impacted by racism.
Today the largest contemporary choir in the world, Rock Choir releases a very special music video for The Diana Award recorded at Althorp House in Northamptonshire.
