NRL ambassadors Danny Buderus, Anthony Quinn and Adam MacDougall hit the road this week to spread the anti-bullying message to students in the Hunter as part of the NRL’s powerful Tackle Bullying program.
The ambassadors visited hundreds of students at high schools and primary schools in Maitland and Kurri Kurri areas to present a program that aims to empower students to stand up for themselves and others who are being bullied.
Students were taught by the ex-Knights how to identify what bullying is and when someone is being bullied, who to talk to if they are being bullied and how to prevent further incidences of bullying through the five slogans Stand Strong like a goal post, stay calm, respond confidently, walk away and report the bullying.
“It’s a highly successful campaign,” NRL ambassador, Danny Buderus said.
“It was interesting watching the kids and how drawn they get to it.
“1 in 4 kids get bullied in our country, which is a sad stat.”
“Bullying for kids is just the start of it, it can lead to depression and then behavior problems,” Anthony Quinn added.
Buderus said the students were engaged by the clear message presented by the NRL Tackle Bullying program and understood that bullying will not be tolerated anymore.
“The thing we stress is not to be a bystander, don’t just stand there when you see someone getting bullied.
"I guess I did see a lot of that when I was young people would just turn a blind eye and walk away because they don’t want to get involved but now it’s about standing up for your mate,” Buderus reflected.
“Just like when football players stand up for their team mates, people need to stand up for their friends and fellow students."
The ambassadors kicked off a week of community events in Newcastle as part of the Festival of Indigenous Rugby League.
The Club also joined other rugby league stars from NRL Clubs to visit more than 28,000 children at 86 schools this week as the NRL’s Community Carnival continues to deliver the game’s powerful Tackle Bullying program across Australia.
Give a hand to ‘Tackle Bullying and WIN TICKETS to the Telstra Premiership Grand Final.
Pledge your support to Tackle Bullying by posting a picture of your hand painted green or holding the NRL's 'Green Tackle Bullying Hand' on your social media networks including Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #TackleBullying
The NRL will choose the best four photos for a public vote at the end of March. The most popular photo will win two tickets to the 2014 NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final.
Head to NRL.com Community Carnival for more details and terms and conditions.
