Everyday children, teenagers and young people are being bullied!  Why? Probably because it was accepted childhood behaviour years ago; yet today it is one of the key topics of concern among adults, parents/carer’s, teachers, youth workers, mentors and counsellors. The serious social and emotional affect bullying has on children and young people is now thought about in-depth, especially as the extremely serious consequences of being bullied has devastating effects on young people where the trauma has resulted in some committing suicide.

By Sue Scott-Horne keen2learn

As adults some of us know what it can feel like to be bossed around and bullied by our work colleagues, friends or family. We have had to learn skills to help us deal with the effects. A child or young person having to cope with bullying is a very challenging and confusing place to be.  Being bullied can make people feel very lonely, isolated with their self esteem at an all time low as they begin to feel the power of the bully. Shockingly up to 50 per cent of children are bullied at some point during their school years.

The UK Children Act 2004 set out the framework that professional’s delivering children’s services must follow.  The ‘Every Child Matters’ (ECM) element of the framework has five objectives:

1. Be Healthy
2. Stay Safe
3. Enjoy And Achieve
4. Make A Positive Contribution
5. Achieve Economic Well-Being

A support system must be put in place for these positive outcomes to be supported throughout the school journey. The elimination of Bullying is a fundamental intention of the ECM objectives. Schools have to ‘co-operate to improve well-being’ by promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.  The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) for Children’s Services and Skills evaluate and inspect and how schools contribute to meet the ECM outcomes.

Recognising bullying behaviour and its consequences can be very confusing for a child. When children know they are being bullied some actually think this is how life is and that people behaving in this way are therefore acceptable.  It is our responsibility as adults to stop this confusion and focus on the changing behaviour of the child who is being bullied as well as the bully. This is especially relevant if they are not prepared to tell or too frightened to tell someone it is happening.

The tell-tale signs that a child is being bullied include:-

1. Not wanting to go to school, starting to truant or not socialising.
2. They may become very quiet in their behaviour and shut themselves away in another room, feeling very unhappy.
3. Complaining of not feeling well, have stomach aches or headaches.
4. Seeming agitated and not sure of themselves.
5. Felling sick and trembling.
6. They may not want to use the phone or computer as texts or email notes are sent to them telling them nasty things.

(Cyber bulling) Seek support at www.cybermentors.org.uk

A gentle talk may help but sometimes if the child is extremely bullied the bully may have threatened them not to tell or something could happen to them.  This state of flux and anxiety can make the child look quite unwell. Intervention has to be appropriate for bullying to be prevented!  The first port of call for an educator is to contact the parent and vice versa. If the parent contacts the educator they can talk through the support system to help the child being bullied and put a coping skills system in place for them. During this phase hopefully the bully’s name will emerge allowing the school to stop the bullying as part of their Anti-Bullying Policy that legally all schools must have in place for immediate action.

The Anti-Bullying policy recommendations should involve:

1. Giving a member of staff specific responsibility for Anti-Bullying work.
2. Auditing current practices and implementing changes to the policy.
3. Developing Anti-Bullying Policies as part of the School Behaviour Policy.
4. Ensuring the policy covers all forms of bullying especially relating to Special Educational Needs, disabilities and Cyber Bullying.
5. The policy should also refer to bullying of staff as well as pupils.
6. The policy should explore all available support e.g. a Behaviour and Attendance Consultant.

Bullying can take place over a few days, weeks or months. It is important to try to establish what has caused it. It may be jealousy, wanting to divert attention away from a popular or a gifted child doing well academically or good at physical sports, dance or football. It could equally be a quiet child who does not mix or socialise well. Staff and parents must be vigilant and focus on the group(s) social mix and not let a lonely, special needs or disabled child be a target. Racial, religious or homophobic bullying can also take place; whatever the reason it must be immediately resolved by working through the problems, seeking professional guidance and support where necessary.

There are many places outside of school or youth club settings that bullying can occur.  It must be dealt with immediately. There is no time to waste in supporting, intervening and preventing bullying.

Support and guidance leaflets and DVD’s can be obtained from:

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk

No Hiding Place For Bullies

http://www.bullying.co.uk/

Childline

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Livia Firth, film director, wife of actor Colin Firth and huge fan of all things ethical, organic and recycled, speaks of her delight of finding that Animal Tails beautiful and ethical Kids T-shirts are in the Oscar goody bags.

Visit Vogue’s website where Livia writes her ethical and green fashion blog to read more, and see pictures of Livia’s beautiful Oscar gown made entirely from recycled fabrics.

Animal Tails is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Please sign up and support now. Text EARTH to 88008. Texts cost £1 plus standard network rate. Or go to www.wwf.org.uk/earthhour.

Last year on Saturday 28 March at 8.30pm local time, the world switched off its lights for an hour.

It was the biggest call for international action on climate change ever seen, and it was called Earth Hour – organised by the international conservation charity WWF.

And nearly 1 billion people joined in, signed up and switched off.

Now in its forth year, Earth Hour 2010 is taking place on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm, and it needs to be even bigger. After the disappointing lack of commitment in Copenhagen last December, Earth Hour is our chance to show we’ve not given up.

Getting the attention of world leaders is never going to be an easy task, but Earth Hour is becoming impossible to ignore. So far, 579 cities and towns have signed up in 77 countries. And the list of iconic landmarks that will be plunged into darkness is growing longer and more impressive by the day.

The Las Vegas strip, the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the Empire State building, the Pyramids of Giza, the Acropolis, Tapei 101 tower in Taiwan and the London Eye are just some of over 1000 monuments and buildings across the globe that will be switching off.

Earth Hour is a huge act of global unity. Its success is based on the fact that every one of us plays a vital role from the comfort of our candle-lit living room. It’s open-source in its purest form. And, through the fabulous and far-reaching power of social media, everyone from individuals to international businesses can support the event and encourage their friends, staff and customers to do the same.

So what do you need to do? Well, very simply, sign up and switch off. And if you have a website, stick a banner ad on it to attract new interest. And if you have a customer database, or a heaving address book, send everyone an email telling them that they have an opportunity to show the world’s leaders that climate change is an issue that won’t go away – too many of us care about the future of our planet, and too many of us demand a commitment from them to find ways of saving it.

It’s not just about switching off – you need to raise your hand too.

When it comes to influencing the people with the power to bring about change, it’s name and numbers that count. That’s why WWF need as many people to register their support as possible – either by texting EARTH to 88008 or by visiting www.wwf.org.uk/earthhour 

Climate change – the issues

Climate change affects the balance of every eco system on the planet – which of course has huge consequences for humans as well as animals.

Increased risks of hurricanes and floods as temperatures and sea levels rise, alongside devastating droughts in other areas of the world – all these things are likely to increase as the effects of climate change take hold.

WWF works with governments, research organisations, local communities, businesses and other NGOs across the world to increase awareness of climate change and influence policy decisions at local and international level.

That’s what Earth Hour is all about.

The polar bear is perhaps the most publicised victim of global warming, as rising temperatures lead to melting sea ice in the Arctic. The polar bear uses the sea ice for hunting and gets most of its food while on the ice during spring and early summer. Due to climate change, the summer sea ice is melting earlier in the year and forming later. So the bears are going without food for longer – which significantly decreases their chance of survival.

But it’s not just the polar bear that’s suffering. It’s estimated that the number of tigers living in the wild could be as few as 3,200. Increased global temperatures are leading to rising sea levels and increased rainfall, submerging large areas of the Bengal tigers’ natural habitat in Bangladesh and forcing them inland and straight into the barrels of the poachers’ guns.

Unless we act now, there is a real possibility that tigers will soon be extinct in the wild. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger – by the next one in 2022 we might be living in a world without tigers.

And then there’s the natural environment. An unbelievable 50% of Borneo’s jungle has been cut down already and one of the main culprits is palm oil, which is found in a large number of everyday products, from biscuits and ice cream to shampoo. In order to meet the demand we have for these products in our supermarkets, the jungle is being cut down.

Deforestation around the globe is responsible for 18% of carbon emissions. And Borneo is home to the orang-utan, and up to half of the world’s orang-utan population has already been lost due to threats such as deforestation.

WWF is already working with producers and suppliers to ensure that palm oil is grown in a sustainable way. Earth Hour is a chance to show your support and demand that these issues are tackled on a global level and climate change is put to the top of the agenda.

How you can help

There are three main ways you can help make Earth Hour 2010 a success. Firstly, you can sign up and switch off. If this means turning off the lights in your house and having a candle-lit supper or game of Monopoly to show you’re support, then that’s great. If it also means being able to turn off company lights, external building lights and influence a major switch off, please do. Of course, if you happen to live in an iconic monument that would create a real media buzz as it plunged into darkness, let WWF know and they’ll come and film you doing it!

Second is to tell everyone you know about Earth Hour and encourage them to do the same. Again, this might be your personal email address book, or it might be your customer database that can be emailed on behalf of WWF to spread the word and tell everyone that you’re signed up.

And thirdly, you could put one of the Earth Hour banner ads on your website, Tweet about it, put an Earth Hour countdown clock on your Facebook page, mention Earth Hour in your blog… For any help with switch offs, banner ads or other creative, contact earthhour@openfundraising.com and they’ll give you exactly what you need to shout about your support even louder.

And the Earth Hour website will keep you updated with celebrity auctions, iconic switch offs, suggestions for what to do when the lights are off, and YouTube clips to show you how much is going on around the world to support Earth Hour 2010.

Sign up, switch off and show your support.

Happy Earth Hour, it’s great to have you on board.

What is Fairtrade?

The concept of ‘fair trade’ has been around for over forty years but did not include a formal system until the late 1980s. It was established by Christian Aid, CAFOD, Oxfam, Traidcraft and the World Development Movement and later joined by the Women’s Institute. The first product to be certified was Green & Black’s Maya Gold Chocolate followed by Cafedirect coffee and Clipper tea. The concept has taken off dramatically since these first products were certified and now includes a variety of food, clothing and gift ranges. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent non-profit organisation which envisions a world in which sustainable development, equality and fair pay form the basis of any trade structure. In order to achieve this, Fairtrade attempts to transform previous trading structures in order to help the disadvantaged and poverty-stricken. They work with businesses, communities and individuals all around the world to improve the trading rights and position of organisations who are often taken advantage of.

Why Should You Buy Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is not just any non-profit organisation. Not only do they provide a fair and honest service to the communities and businesses involved but they also provide the consumer with great quality produce at a fair price. You reap the benefits of investing in Fairtrade products. The Fairtrade certification enables the consumer to make informed decisions about their purchase choices and means they can be safe in the knowledge that their money is providing a reasonable income for those people who are involved. The quality of the produce is well worth the price, especially with the realisation that the people putting in the groundwork get fair compensation for their services.

Fairtrade Towns

Fairtrade also promotes the education of local communities involved with trade structures and issues. As a charity it believes that ordinary people can make a dramatic difference to the livelihood of the producers and aims to increase awareness of this belief. Fairtrade towns are those which are committed to promoting understanding of trade issues in their local community – to find out more please take a look at the Fairtrade website.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2010

Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 took place from the 22^nd of February until the 7^th of March and was labelled ‘the big swap’! Fairtrade asked the nation to swap their usual produce choices to Fairtrade – whether it be coffee, chocolate, fruit or socks. By doing this the general public proved that they care about their responsibility as consumers and can make a real difference to the lives of the people who grow or sew that which we buy, eat and wear. Fairtrade fortnight was a phenomenal success with celebrities such as Emma Watson creating Fairtrade fashion lines, Oxfordshire schools hosting a week of incredible green events and Cadbury’s offering songs from the likes of Paolo Nutini and Sway when you registered your swap to Fairtrade. The nation spoke out and showed the world that Britain cares about the lives of the farmers and workers that provide us with so much of our material goods. Why not try to make the swap to Fairtrade certified products yourself and reap the benefits of great quality products that make a real difference to the lives of the producers.

MoreEco is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

BUILDING WITH RAMMED EARTH AND CHALK A two-day course

This hands-on course is for those who want to learn how to build with earth or chalk and should be of value to designers too.

22 – 23 May 2010 (Saturday – Sunday)

Earthship Brighton, Stanmer Park, Brighton BN1 9PZ

www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk

PRUNING OLD FRUIT TREES A two-day course

Hands-on course that teaches how to improve the health and productivity of old fruit trees by appropriate pruning.
Course 1:  Saturday 15 – Sunday 16 January 2011

Course 2: Tuesday 18 – Wednesday 19 January 2011

Stanmer Park, Brighton BN1 9PZ

www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk

BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES – A PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE

This course looks at how we can design human ‘ecosystems’, working collaboratively with one another to care for the planet and ourselves.

January – May 2011 13 weekend days, dates to be confirmed.

Earthship Brighton, Stanmer Park, Brighton BN1 9PZ and locations in and around Brighton

www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk

Brighton Permaculture Trust is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

On a visit to the ever-expanding Ecobuild Fair yesterday, I was interested to sit in on a discussion surrounding the Great British Refurb Campaign, set up over a year ago by Kevin McCloud. The campaign is trying to make our Government and the great British public understand the fact that whilst new builds are being regulated and driven towards zero carbon by 2016, little is being done for the 26m homes already built and occupied by the likes of you and I. How can we set about retrofitting so many homes to reach carbon reduction targets set for 2020 and beyond?

A recent competition was set up by the campaign for one lucky winner to receive all the upgrades needed to create a low energy home. The winner Will *** was present at the conference and described the upgrades (valued at around £23,000) that his house had received:

• Interior wall & loft insulation
• Solar Panels
• Balloons in unused chimneys to stop draughts
• New composite doors and thermally insulated glazing
• Smaller Radiators
• Unit to lower voltage coming in through the electricity mains

How had this changed Will’s energy statistics? The results were astounding, as he achieved an 80% drop in carbon emissions and better still a 123% drop in energy bills – Will can now make money on electricity produced by his solar panels through the new Feed-in-Tariff coming in April.

A fantastic result I am sure you’ll agree, but how can the majority of the public carry out similar works? There are many hurdles to overcome

• Financial : many householders simply cannot afford it
• Destruction : the complete house might be affected and occupiers will need to put up with a lot of disruption during the works
• Motivation : many people lack the belief that they need to reduce their personal carbon footprint
• Industry infrastructure : currently we are as a nation lacking in the skills and infrastructure necessary to carry out the works on a large scale

Clearly, these are big issues that need discussion at the highest levels of our society.

Government is moving in the right direction with schemes such as CERT and CESP both of which help financially with grants for upgrades but can only cover around 1.5m houses per year. If we are to tackle 26m houses much more is needed.

Yesterday Ed Milliband introduced a new scheme in which homeowners can take out a ‘green loan’ for energy efficient upgrades. This loan will be set against the property and will be sold on to the next occupier as the house is sold.  This is once again a step in the right direction but will not help out the millions living in social housing or close to the poverty line who do not own their own houses. Can landlords and housing associations finance the necessary upgrades?

There is clearly no easy answer and we will be following the debate with interest in the run-up to the election. Check out the Great British Refurb Campaign website who will be posting summaries of the three main political parties housing policies over the coming months. It is sure to be an interesting debate.

Most importantly of all, sign up to the campaign and make it clear that if we are to achieve the targets set for carbon reduction we are all going to need a little help and we are definitely going to need to work together.

Gecco Interiors Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The team at MoreEco have increased their support for UKAware 2010 by securing a stand at the event.

Therefore if you have any questions please come and visits us.

UKAwae 2010 is taking place on 16th and 17th April 2010, in Olympia Two, London.

It is the UK’s only green and ethical lifestyle exhibition.

Also we have secured discounted tickets for this excellent Green Event. What’s more, the organisers will be donating all profits to charity!

Click here to buy tickets now and save £9.00 / 60%

Click here for more Event information.

Click here for more Eco and green events for 2010

MoreEco is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

BABY PRODUCTS FOR ORGANIC BABY CHANGE AND FEED AREA

This year, The EcoVillage at The Kent County Show will be expanding the organic baby change and feed facilities following the success of the area last year. The area will be run in conjunction with Kidz Organic Clothing.

The Kent County Show is popular with families and last year we saw over 80,000 visitors over a three day period. The show runs over the weekend of 16th-18th July. This is a perfect opportunity to showcase organic baby products to a wide audience.

If you have products which you would like to get out to families with young children and are happy to provide us with some samples for use in the Baby Area please email us on info@theecovillage.co.uk

The EcoVillage is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The future of the UK lies significantly  in developing  its engineering ability. Not an easy task as interest in engineering and science in school and university has fallen significantly over the years. The STEM focus is designed to whet the appetite in children and there are a number of fantastic projects on the go. Keen2learn in particular are  pleased to be associated with hydrogen fuel cell  renewal energy teaching resources and the huge possibilities of how these will help reduce climate change.

Keen2learn’s link with educational games and renewable energy  has resulted in their recent  appointment as the UK distributor for the fantastic hydrogen fuel cell teaching resources from Heliocentris of Germany. Designed and built with schools, colleges and universities in mind the range of resources are supplied with comprehensive resources, worksheets and lesson plans. With over 30 experiments,  these front of class  learning resources and model hydrogen fuel cell car allow hands on experience for children. See the car in action in this short video Alistair Owens MD at keen2learn explained  “A real benefit of the range lies in the equipment design and documentation which  allow non science teachers to also get involved in renewable energy and hydrogen fuel cells.”

The interest in renewable energy products from keen2learn is growing rapidly in schools. The combined focus in climate change from the Copenhagen summit and STEM cross curricular projects have elevated hydrogen fuel cells, solar and wind energy as  lead applications to interest children in science and engineering.  The Heliocentris equipment developed over the last 10 years is ideal to fire their enthusiasm in an energy source for the future.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Mother’s Day is 14th March this year and Fairwind has an unusual and stunning range of ethical gifts for Mum this year.

Pacifica solid perfumes £9.90

A modern take on the most ancient form of fragrance, these gorgeous solid perfumes are made with organic soy and coconut wax combined with essential and natural oils. These perfumes are irresistible, affordable, totally portable and great on men and women. No animal testing, animal ingredients or artificial colours have been used to make these lovely, vegan perfumes. Available in 4 heavenly fragrances; Tuscan blood orange, Mediterranean fig, Hawaiian ruby guava and Tahitian gardenia. Spray perfumes, soaps, bath gift sets and body butters are also available.

Cream wirework bowls £16, £24

These handmade wirework bowls have been painted in a simple cream colour that works with any colour scheme in any home. Available in 2 sizes, these bowls are lovely ethical home gifts or Mother’s Day gifts. Large: 30cm x 30cm x 12cm, small: 21cm x 21cm x 8cm.

Mangowood & ceramic 3 drawers £18

This beautiful small set of drawers is ideal for storing jewellery, trinkets and nick-nacks. The ceramic drawers have been hand-painted (colours and designs vary). This fairtrade storage item is popular with adults and older children and makes a lovely fair trade bedroom accessory. An 8 drawer version is also available.

Fairwind is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more