HORRIBLE, disgusting and inhumane were words students used to describe bullying on Tuesday.
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Year 9 pupils from James Fallon High School and Albury High School explored the issue during End the Pain Day, which was organised as part of Mental Health Week.
One girl spoke of how bullies had called her names and told her to kill herself.
Other students said they related to several topics covered and some said they had been bullied for most of their life.
From their painful experiences, teenagers were motivated to educate others to put a stop to bullying.
Volunteer mentors, from TAFE NSW Riverina Institute in Albury, were trained through Murray Industry and Community Employment Education Partnership.
Through the youth frontiers program, mentors were paired with a student who they met with weekly for the past two-terms to organise different parts of the day.
Student D’Lana Benton, 15, said she wanted other pupils to understand words could hurt.
“We've all encountered bullying at some stage, in some form and we have to stand against it to make sure it stops,” she said.
Another student, Brett Davey, 15, wrote a rap about bullying and said he thought the program should run in all schools.
“It was an amazing thing to be a part of and was the best program I've ever done,” he said.
Students learned how to support victims of bullying and were told not to be a bystander.
Students organised for Bully Zero Australia Foundation chief executive Oscar Yildiz to speak to students and held a barbecue to raise money for the organisation.
Mr Yildiz said he aimed to empower people with strategies for tackling verbal, physical or online bullying.
“We had students tear up from empathy which is what we want,” he said.
“Children, no matter what age, need to talk about their issues to friends, family and teachers.
“The other message was to be an ‘upstander’, not a bystander.”
The program was funded by the NSW Government.
Bully Zero Australia Foundation: 1800 028 559