Fermanagh school children, teachers and support staff have come together for the biggest-ever Anti-Bullying Week.

The five-day event kicked off with Odd Socks Day on Monday, November 14 and, for the first time, includes a major conference to educate and inform those working with children on the psychology of bullying.

The week-long event will see children in schools here don mismatched socks to celebrate every child’s uniqueness. That element of the event will also be supported by CBeebies presenter, Andy Day and his band 'Andy and the Odd Socks’ who have penned a new song to mark the occasion.

Anti-Bullying Week 2022, which is coordinated by the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (NIABF), runs from November 14-18 and pushes the theme ‘Reach Out’ to encourage children and young people to reach out to their peers, adults and support networks to break the cycle of bullying.

With more resources than ever, the event will equip schools with a comprehensive suite of information to ensure their participation in the event is as productive as possible.

NIABF’s aim, like every year, is to create awareness of bullying and its devastating impact on children and address how to stop it.

It has broadened its offering to include the first-ever anti-bullying conference of its kind here for those working with children across the province which took place yesterday (Wednesday).

A creative arts competition will also feature allowing children to tap into their inner painter, filmmaker, poet and author to convey the Reach Out theme. It will close for entries on December 21.

Speaking about Anti-Bullying Week 2022, Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum Chair, Kathleen Toner, said: “Bullying affects millions of lives and can leave us feeling hopeless. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If we challenge it, we can change it. And it starts by reaching out, which is the theme of this year’s event.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to bring back our annual event to support those in schools, homes and communities here to reach out and support one another to end the bullying cycle.

“We all have a role to play, whether we are teachers, parents, influencers or politicians; every member of the community must take a stance through behaviour and set good examples to create a kind community for everyone.

“We encourage every school and setting where children and young people are to join us this year and help in what is a collective and fun campaign to end this social issue.”

Aoife Nic Colaim, Anti-Bullying Co-ordinator, at NIABF added: “NIABF has worked hard to put together resources and events that will support schools and other settings every step of the way in creating awareness of bullying and the ways in which we can reach out to end it.

“Our new conference this year will present an occasion for those in roles of responsibility to support them in learning how to work with children to combat bullying behaviour.

Translink is a long-standing supporter of Anti-Bullying Week and will once again partner with the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum to help deliver key messages around the theme of Reach Out.

Schools and those at the helm of all children and young people’s settings are encouraged to reach out to the NIABF’s website to participate in Anti-Bullying Week 2022. You can find more information here http://www.endbullying.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/

Anti-Bullying Week is coordinated by the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (NIABF), an interagency group hosted by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) and funded by the Department of Education.