The Blight of Bullying
By , 04 Mar 2021
When I was kid and teenager, bullying was something that generally only happened in the schoolyard. I had classmates who would dread going to school every day, and when they were there they would be counting down the hours and minutes until they could go home. Nowadays it doesn’t just stop when you leave school. Thanks to apps and social media, kids that experience bullying can’t escape it - even in the safety on their own home. If they have access to a device, they have access potentially hurtful words screaming at them through a screen. It’s a sad reality that too many children are experiencing around the world.
This year, March 19th is our National Day of Action Against Bullying. To shed light on how harmful bullying can be, Sydney dance organisation Shaun Parker and Company will be performing their anti-bullying production The Yard for schools, teachers and educators across the country via live stream.
The Yard is a compelling, physical dance theatre show that addresses themes including bullying – both in real life and cyber bullying, peer pressure, social exclusion and emotional resilience.
“Sadly bullying does not yet appear to be going away, and the rise of cyber bullying in particular is a concern to anyone who cares about children and young people,” shares choreographer and company founder Shaun Parker.
Parker was himself bullied as a teen, as were some of the dancers performing, so the project is very close to heart to those involved.
“If The Yard can make even just one person rethink bullying behaviour, we are succeeding.”
The Yard live stream is available across Australia on Friday the 19th of March 2021 at 1:30pm and is suitable for kindi-yr8 students. For more information visit shaunparkercompany.com/the-yard-payment/
