St Pius pupils test out new app tackling bullying
and live on Freeview channel 276
The vast majority of bullying amongst young people goes unreported and students and staff at St Pius X College in Magherafelt have been involved in a project to tackle this head on.
They have been testing a new app which aims to remove the barriers that young people experience when reporting bullying and cyberbullying.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdVice-principal, Mrs Edwina Toner, said: “Bullying can have a devastating effect on a young person’s wellbeing, mental health and academic performance.
However, students who are being bullied may be unsure of who to speak to, they may not feel comfortable enough to approach an adult or they may not want to be seen to report the bullying.”
The CyberSyd app allows young people to report bullying easily and confidentially from anywhere and at any time.
It has been created by the founders of a Northern Ireland social enterprise and is the first of its kind.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe feedback provided by the school will be used to complete the app in time for its September launch.
One student tester said: “Syd made me feel that everything was going to be OK. This will really help someone if they feel alone.”
The developers of the app have awarded three St Pius X students with Amazon vouchers in appreciation of the detailed feedback that they provided.
Co-Founder of the app, Aaron Ball, said: “The valuable feedback provided by the students and staff of St Pius X will allow us to improve the experience that it provides for young people. We couldn’t have achieved this without their support.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSeptember sees the introduction of new anti-bullying legislation in Northern Ireland’s schools which introduces statutory responsibilities to prevent and record bullying.
More information on how this will affect teachers and governors as well as information about the new app can be found at www.cybersyd.net
--
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.