This video really does flip the perception on its’ head and is a total role reversal. Just had to share it!

- Liam
Founder & CEO
PS. Huge thanks to Daniel for sharing this with us!

The post Sexuality: When Did You Choose to be Straight? appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

Just ignore it… is this the bullying advice you get given? Not very helpful is it?!

I spend my working life sorting out how to deal with bullying problems and the links with how we look and how we feel about ourselves – and there are loads of useful bullying advice I could give you… but I thought I’d start by explaining why you CAN’T ‘just ignore it’.

We’d need a quick look at how our brains work first – it sounds boring but it’s brilliant once you can understand what’s happening in bullying situations! You did know we’ve got THREE brains? The bit we’re interested in here is the basic bit (official title – brainstem) that does the things you don’t even have to think about – like keeping you breathing and keeping your heart beating. This bit of kit is also responsible for dealing with things like making you chuck up if you drink too much – yuk but useful!

Importantly this bit of brain deals with stress – so it gets into gear when you get bullied. It literally decides which part of you needs extra energy. So if your basic instinct is to fight it diverts your energy to your arms to punch! If your basic instinct is for flight? Energy goes to your legs to help you run away fast! Another common instinct is to freeze. I heard this is what you’re supposed to do if a bear approaches you… personally I’d rather not find out if it works!!! But it happens too when someone says something horrible and you just can’t think how to reply.

Please notice this bit of brain does NOT send lots of energy to the rest of the brain (the limbic system which deals with things like processing our emotions and the cerebral cortex that helps with ‘thinking things through logically’)!!
(And remember that the advice ‘just ignore it’ only uses that logical bit of the brain that isn’t working when we’re stressed!!)

You can’t ignore something if your whole body goes into stress lockdown. You may want to run away but it’s not always possible. For loads of reasons it might not be possible to fight back either. So what often happens is you freeze. You. Just. Stop. Dead.
(And the bully now knows you’re upset or scared or angry and you’re in worse trouble…)

HELP!

We’ve got to use what we know about our three bits of brain to help us here… We need to get rid of the stress and think clearly…

Do this exercise with a mate.

1. One of you think of something that terrifies you. Picture it clearly in your mind… come on! Panic a bit!!!
2. Now stand up (still thinking of that very scary thing!) and put your hands up in front of you. Get your mate to push against your hands…

Either you nearly fell over (cos your body wants to run away – you certainly can’t ‘just ignore it’) or you pushed your mate over (you want to fight back. However inappropriate it might be, you too can’t ‘just ignore it’).
We’ve now got to get your stress reaction to scary things under control!! This next bit’s weird – but trust me, it works by using your biology to work for you!

1. Breathe right down into your stomach. Fill it with air!
2. Say to yourself “It’s OK – I can handle this!”
3. Breathe out as if into the ground and push that thought (“It’s OK – I can handle this”) through your feet and into the ground.
4. Imagine that thought being like roots spreading under the ground and holding you steady…
5. Now get your mate to do the pushing against your hands bit again.

If you did this exercise right you’ll be equally balanced – no-one falls over!
Because you’re now ‘grounded’ and there’s a big shot of oxygen going to your whole brain you can finally use those emotional and logical bits of your brain and think a lot more clearly – you can choose to walk away from the scary thing. You can come back with a calm response to their stupid remark or you could even, now, choose to ‘just ignore it’…
BRILLIANT!

You have the first really useful anti-bullying strategy under your belt! You STAR!

You can find out more about Dr. Emily and her bullying advice at theBullyingDoctor.com homepage. >>

The post Bullying Advice: They told me to just ignore it… Why doesn’t it work? appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Jodie Harsh, one of the UK’s biggest and most successful DJs, socialites and all round entertainers. We spoke to Jodie about her thoughts on bullying, growing up and she gives her advice on finding and accepting yourself for who you are.

Ditch the Label: Hi Jodie, thank you for taking the time out to talk to us!
Jodie Harsh: Not a problem, I think what you guys are doing is great and it’s an honour to be able to contribute my story towards the campaign.

Ditch the Label: It’s great to have you involved! So could you tell us a little more about yourself and what you do?
Jodie Harsh: Ultimately I’m a DJ and produce music, throw parties and run my own club nights in London and around the world. I fell into my career and originally wanted to be an actor or a dancer after studying Fashion at LCF. I’m kind of making it up as I go along but I love it!

Ditch the Label: What was growing up like for you? Did you ever experience bullying yourself?
Jodie Harsh: I was incredibly fortunate to never experience bullying; I had the occasional teasing when I was young but I have always been quite lucky and managed to escape it. I made myself funny and I always made sure that I got on with all the kind of “laddy type” people, even though half of the time I actually fancied them! I always hung around with the “cool” crowd and I have always been so blatantly gay. It was shining out of me from 6 years of age so I never really had to hide anything.

Ditch the Label: So when you say that you hung around with the “cool” people at school, was that a conscious decision on your part?
Jodie Harsh: Yes I guess it was kind of conscious. I was always quite clever and worked really hard but I think that if I hung around with the “nerdy” crowd, it would have made me even more vulnerable to bullying. I always just made sure that I wasn’t an easy target.

I was at a normal grammar school until I was 14 and then I moved to London to go to a Stage School so I think that when I was at normal secondary school, I played it all down a bit and then when I went to stage school I really came out of my shell and even came out to people on my first day.

I mean even now, I’m sure that there is a lot of negative stuff written about me online but I never even look at it. I have always made sure that I stay away from anything negative.

Ditch the Label: Do you think that sexuality and difference is embraced more at stage school than at state school?
Jodie Harsh: Oh yeah, definitely. At the time, it was never a problem at stage school. All the teachers knew, I told them all! I’ve always had a real f*ck you attitude as well. I’ve never taken any sh*t! It’s made me the person I am today.

Ditch the Label: So when you were at stage school, did you ever experience bullying outside of the confines of the classroom?
Jodie Harsh: No but I know a lot of others did, quite a few were beaten up but I was always incredibly lucky. It certainly was luck of the draw. Now I’m a boy that dresses like a girl in the middle of the big bad city and I have never had any abuse.

Ditch the Label: Have you ever felt vulnerable to being targeted?
Jodie Harsh: I protect myself from it all. I don’t put myself in a position where I could face it. I live in a very gay friendly part of East London and would never walk through Brixton dressed like this, for example. I never put my name into Google either. I consciously stay away from any negative influences that could be abusive.

Ditch the Label: As an adult do you ever get negative comments for being in drag, for being openly gay or for anything else?
Jodie Harsh: God, yeah but I’m really happy with the person that I am and I love what I do. I have put myself out there as something that is completely different; I am in makeup, high heels and a wig. I’ve put myself out there as something so different to society in general. I’ve always felt different and like a complete alien; I’ve always been open about it and embraced it. The people around me like and appreciate me for being different and for who I am. I’ve never had to hide anything, which is amazing! So many of my friends were bullied and had to hide who they were until they became an adult, through fear of being bullied for it.

Ditch the Label: Do you think that your outspoken and loud personality through Jodie is a protection mechanism?
Jodie Harsh: Yes, it probably is. I’ve always made sure that nobody can be horrible to me, that has been my coping mechanism in life. In my case, being so loud and outspoken has protected me, as opposed to me being shy but that is just me. Perhaps if I had have gone to a different school or lived in a different area, I would have had to hide part of who I am a bit. I think that I am only so confident with who I am now because I never had it beaten out of me when I was a kid.

Ditch the Label: In the gay community, there seems to be an internalization of homophobia and transphobia. Have you ever experienced it?
Jodie Harsh: Yeah it goes on so much, it’s around us everywhere. There’s also a lot of racism within ethnic minorities – there is never much sense of community, which is sad. In London the gay community have it so good and we forget how good we have it. It all boils down to individual insecurities, which is where a lot of the bullying comes from.

I have always been pretty sorted and happy with whom I am so I have never been insecure in anyway.

Ditch the Label: Do you think that there is a difference between you in and out of drag?
Jodie Harsh: Not really, just a ton of hairspray and a f*ck load of make up!
It’s really not a thing for me. Being in drag is like putting on my work suit and Jodie is just a name that I call myself when I’m working. I never put myself out there, out of drag, I like the mystery and illusion around it. I put out this sort of character.

Ditch the Label: Do you have the same friendship circles when in and out of drag?
Jodie Harsh: I have always known that having a really close-knit circle of friends is one of the most important things in life. I have around 7 best friends: we never Instagram or Tweet each other, they never come to my club nights and they are my real friends. If I’m out doing a gig or a party then there are thousands of people that I know but I would never sit down and have lunch with them or tell them about bad things going on.

Ditch the Label: Have you always been so confident or is it something you have built up over time?
Jodie Harsh: Yes. I don’t think I’m overly confident – we all have our insecurities, right?

Ditch the Label: So when you first started out in drag and left the house wearing heels, how did you feel?
Jodie Harsh: A tiny bit vulnerable and actually, that never goes away. You do put yourself out there and drag is like having a suit of armor. One half feels untouchable and the other half is like “oh my god, I’m in a wig!”. With drag in general, there is a sort of vulnerability thing that goes on with drag. I work really, really hard but I get nervous about things still. Like a new work thing or a gig, it can be really nerve-racking but that’s natural.

Ditch the Label: What kind of advice would you give to anybody reading this who is having difficulty with bullying or finding it hard to accept themselves for who they are?
Jodie Harsh: You should be yourself, however sometimes you have to hide elements of it for safety. It really does get better, however cliché as it may sound. You are always good enough.

Make sure you follow Jodie on Twitter and Facebook. Whilst you’re at it, have you got your anti-bullying wristband yet? Check them out here!

The post Jodie Harsh for Ditch the Label: “One half feels untouchable and the other half is like “oh my god, I’m in a wig!” appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

We are excited to announce that we will be taking part in National Student Pride this year at the Brighton Dome. We will have a booth during the daytime event and will be giving out Ditch the Label goodies, answering questions and helping spread our amazing ethos for equality and diversity. If you are around in Brighton on Saturday 2nd March 2013, come and say hi between 12:30PM and 17:30PM. Entrance to the daytime event is free of charge and tickets for the evening are available now on the National Student Pride website.

Hope to see you there!

Ditch the Label x

The post We’ll be at the National Student Pride – 2nd March 2013 appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

Ditch the Label: So we know that you were bullied at school for being overweight, Chinese and gay. Were there any particular instances that really left an impression with you?
Gok Wan: When you get bullied, I think it all leaves an impression. You should never underestimate any experience of bullying and all of it needs to be remembered because it gives you power when you are older. For me it was just a constant barrage of stuff. It was never ‘Hollywood’ style, my bullies were very clever and so there was a lot of psychological abuse going on. The bullies would beat me down, I was never physically attacked – it was all verbal and psychological. I was a big guy and so kids were physically afraid of me.

Ditch the Label: How did you deal with the bullying at the time?
Gok Wan: Well I gave myself a makeover at 13, I reinvented myself and turned into someone else. I gave everyone a visual warning not to come near me. I became much “cooler” and fitted in. I slotted in by looking like the bullies which stopped the bullying for a while.

Ditch the Label: Why do you think the bullies targeted you? What do you think their motivation was?
Gok Wan: In a word: difference. You can’t beat bullies for bullying because they are all being bullied themselves. I do a lot of work with kids and have learnt that bullies go through extreme circumstances. Often there is neglect at home and they often want to vent an experience and believe that bullying is the right thing to do.

Ditch the Label: In our Annual Bullying Survey 2013, we found that 24% of young people who are bullied self harm, 25% have suicidal thoughts and 17% truant from school or college. What kind of advice would you give to anyone in either situation?
Gok Wan: It is more about not getting to that stage. I would say that it is important to find a voice and to talk to someone you trust. Remember that you are not alone and you must never believe what bullies say to you. People will walk away from bullying you but the effect it has on you will be lasting. Do not harbour the experiences, they are a brief moment in time. You have the power to talk to someone, it’s illegal to bully people – they are in the wrong and you have no reason not to report it.

Ditch the Label: We also found that eating disorders were frequently reported by young people who are bullied for their appearance. Working in the fashion industry, what is your take on it?
Gok Wan: Well I don’t think it’s fashion based, I think it’s humanely based. Regardless, people have no mind to bully anyone. It’s important to address eating disorders and mental health diseases and to seek advice and support as soon as you can.

Ditch the Label: You work with a lot of women who are unhappy with their appearance, do you think that anybody or anything in particular is to blame for that?
Gok Wan: I think that there are lots of contributing forces. The media and press have a responsibility, clothing stores have a responsibility – I think it is a collection of lots of different things. A lot of people have low self-esteem because of weight issues and so I think that it is important to be educated about healthy living and wellbeing because it can have a huge knock on effect. People need more education and information about food, health and wellbeing.

Ditch the Label: So guys are increasingly being targeted with these “ideal” and unrealistic visions of beauty but there seems to be little recognition of the harmful effects or any support for guys with image issues. Do you think that this needs to be something that is addressed?
Gok Wan: Well it isn’t a new thing, guys have always been bombarded – look at the likes of James Dean and Clark Gabel and think of the characters they portrayed, it isn’t a modern thing. I think that the male community hasn’t really had a voice until recently and attitudes towards things such as grooming and clothing are changing but currently men don’t really have a forum to talk about them because they don’t allow it. Women have a stronger sense of community with gossip magazines, websites, coffee mornings and websites like Mumsnet but guys don’t seem to give themselves the license to discuss it. There needs to be change but how do we do it? It needs to be commercially and reader viable but it’s the whole chicken vs. egg debate; if there’s no demand, there’s no supply.

Ditch the Label: We recently found that 30% of bullied youths are targeted for their interests, do you have any interests that differ from the norm and were you ever bullied for them?
Gok Wan: I was always coined with the gay guy stereotype but I was in fact interested in music, fashion and the stereotypical interests and so I was never really bullied for any of it.

Ditch the Label: If you could turn back time and reverse your experiences of bullying, would you?
Gok Wan: No, never, ever. I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It was an incredible experience, it was awful and dreadful but it turned me into the person I am. If I lived life with regrets I’d be wasting time.

Ditch the Label: Do you ever feel marginalised by society and put into different boxes because of your sexuality and ethnicity?
Gok Wan: Absolutely. We are all pigeonholed and I work in a business where we do exactly just that. We create a character in a certain way and the branding of that character is incredibly important as it sends out thousands of messages that we read without even noticing. 1 thing we need is community but then we fight against it to be unique. It’s a strange relationship.

Ditch the Label: Do you have any advice for anybody reading this who is currently going through bullying?
Gok Wan: Try to understand why people bully as best you can. Understanding the bullies will become your greatest power. Find your voice and the confidence to talk about it, you are not on your own with services like Ditch the Label around. Don’t feel like you can’t use Ditch the Label as a resource or to build your own community. Isolation is the biggest power for bullies, but remember: it wont last forever. Don’t worry about it, when you get to my age and look back you will regret worrying. Worry about stuff that is important and don’t waste time.

Ditch the Label: Thank you, Gok! Do you have anything else you’d like to add?
Gok Wan: After I wrote my autobiography, I vowed that I would never really talk about my experiences again and so the purpose of this interview isn’t to normalise bullying or to suggest that it is part of growing up because it absolutely isn’t. This interview is about empowering people and giving people the power and confidence to do something about it.

The post Gok Wan for Ditch the Label: “Try to Understand the Bullies as Best You Can.” appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

We worked with several colleges, producing not only our Nationwide report but tailored reports and recommendations for each college too. Our 23 page report unearths some incredibly shocking and emotional insights into the lives of thousands of young people. We found that 69% of teens will experience bullying before their 18th birthday – of which 24% will self harm, 25% will have suicidal thoughts and 17% will truant from school or college. We also found that 21% of students are currently being bullied online, a figure that we anticipate will rise over the coming years.

As part of the report, we have included a topology that we call the “Route to Bullying”, drawing upon 52 different demographic profiles and highlighting how experiences of bullying vary between different people on the basis of variables such as gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, household income and disability profiles. The Route of Bullying highlights key areas for concern and “high risk” groups. The data can be used to pinpoint which groups are most likely to exhibit certain behaviours and tendencies in response to bullying.

We found that 57% of students are not satisfied with the support that they are receiving and many felt neglect and a lack of concern from teachers. Our research indicates that family members are the most likely sources of support but satisfaction was still rather low. To conclude the report, we have pinpointed our key recommendations that we believe that schools and colleges as a whole should certainly consider and work to implement with immediate effect.

We will now be distributing our report, free of charge, to every high school and college in the country and will be working with press and media to bring our insights to discussion from the general public.

This report was produced independently by Ditch the Label and we are hoping to produce further in-depth analysis and insights in the near future with Governmental and Corporate backing.

To download a free copy of the report, click here.
If you represent a Governmental agency, school or college and would like to find out more about us, click here.
If you are a member of the press, click here for a press release or here to contact us.

The post The Annual Bullying Survey 2013 Results Are in! appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

My daughter, aged 12 has been bullied by one girl, her family and her gang for nearly 4 years. The bullying is not just taunts or verbal abuse, its also physical abuse. Putting a very long story short she has been beaten more times than I can remember, had knives put to her throat, cyber bullied, been called slut, whore and so on. Rumours that still go around are that she was raped, is pregnant, stuffs tissues down her top and that is just to name a few.

Just before Christmas 2013 my daughter tried to take her own life after the bullies father ran her off her bike in his vehicle. He then got out of his car whilst my daughter lay helpless on the road and threatened to kill her if she continued hassling his daughter.

What broke the Camel’s back was when the police, even after seeing her injuries and seeing the damage to her bike refused to press charges because the father denied everything and “it would not hold up in court”. The police have three years worth of paper trails, but because of our laws their hands are tied because children are classed as minors.

The bullying just doesnt happen at school, its also out of school. Unlike other 12 year olds she cant go to the local pools, hang with other kids her age because they always find her and beat her up.

As a parent you do everything to protect your children, but it is frustrating when the schools, police and the people that should be listening, don’t. Being bullied just doesn’t affect the victim but it effects the whole family. More times than I can count, I have called my husband crying because I am at breaking point and feel like a failure to my daughter. The bullies and her family have taken away my daughter’s childhood. She no longer attends school; so they have taken away her right for a decent education, they have isolated her.

She now sees a counsellor twice a week and we have just been referred to the mental health doctors. She once was a happy, cheerful girl, always laughing, cracking jokes and oh so sweet. Now shes depressed, doesn’t really socialise, tearful, and very reserved.

I recently set up a facebook page and was blown away by the support from all over the world. This has been great therapy for me. It’s my way of letting it all out, so I can continue my fight. Via private messages other young girls from around the world have and are going through what we are. The difference being they are to scared to speak up. I have had one mother message me from her daughter’s hospital bed, whilst her daughter lay in a coma. I keep in contact regularly with all of these people, and even though I’m half way around the world I will continue to fight for them aswell.

As a mum my plea to other parents is to talk openly to your children. Never make them feel like they cant be open and honest with you. Your children need to be able to talk to you about anything. To the children getting bullied, please tell someone. If for any reason you cant talk to your parents, talk to your grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, friends parents, teacher or pastor. You are our future, and you are very very special. Don’t leave it and hope it goes away, because 9 times out of 10 it doesn’t.

Our world isn’t perfect but we can change things, it may be a hard long road but we can make a difference.

My story is far from over, I will continue to fight for my family. I will continue to report every single incident. I will continue to fight for change and I will continue to fight the authorities so bullies can be held accountable for there actions no matter how old they are.

Thank you for reading my blog and thank you to Ditch the Label for giving me this opportunity. I think that Ditch the Label is an amazing cause and I am proud to be a part of it.

Kelly Warren

The post Guest Blog: “My daughter has been physically attacked… Rumours still go around that she was raped.” appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

Ditch the Label: Hi Hannah, thank you so much for agreeing to speak with us! We love your story and are really excited to have you on board.
Hannah Stodel: No worries, thank you for asking me. The more I read, the more impressed I have been by Ditch the Label. I love the concept and I just wish that there was something like this when I was younger. Ditch the Label really highlights how ridiculous prejudice is and shows that it is time to just move on.

Ditch the Label: Thank you Hannah. We love your story and know that it will inspire so many of our supporters, especially those with a disability. You have come a very long way and it just shows that with enough energy anything can happen. Has everything always been so easy though? Were you ever bullied in school or treated unfairly?
Hannah Stodel: Yes, I was bullied quite a bit, not just for my disability but also for my sailing too. It seems very strange but people were always offended by my sailing and they could never really understand why I was taking time away from school. People felt that I was getting preferential treatment and I was labelled as the kid that was “special” and “weird”. People would tell me that I was a teachers pet, having “special lessons”.

I was born without a lower right arm and so I was an easy target at school. One guy in particular took great offence and I remember a time when he made posters of me labelling me as the “evil person with 1 arm” and had drawn a picture of me and put them up all around the school. I remember feeling so embarrassed and thinking that it represented how everybody else perceived me, it was awful.

Ditch the Label: How about within the sailing community, did you ever experience any prejudice or bullying there?
Hannah Stodel: Well I always saw disabled sailing as being a weaker option. I believed that if I could sail then it was important for me to compete with everybody else, regardless of my disability. When I was younger, I qualified for the predominantly able-bodied National Youth Squad and I remember having a meeting with my Performance Manager and he told me that I wasn’t cut out for it and should play table tennis because of my arm.

Ditch the Label: What about in public? Do you ever experience any sort of prejudice?
Hannah Stodel: Yes I do but it is much less frequent now. People have become more accepting and aware and I think the Paralympic games really heightened public awareness. In the past I have had a few incidents. Quite a few have happened when I have been out clubbing, people always ask me what I’m doing out like having a disability should stop me from leaving the house. One girl once approached me in a nightclub to tell me that I was disgusting and shouldn’t be there.

Ditch the Label: It must have been really difficult to not only overcome the pressures that surround most other teens but also the bullying and prejudice that you experienced as a result of something that you didn’t ask for in the first place. During school, what kind of support networks did you utilise?
Hannah Stodel: Well it became very clear who my true friends were, I had 2 friends who always stuck by me throughout my entire school life. In fact, they are still with me now. I told them everything and they helped me overcome the bullying so much. I focused all of my energy on sailing, I became addicted to it and saw it as escapism from the bullying.

Ditch the Label: What inspired you to become a Paralympian?
Hannah Stodel: I got a phone call from Andy Cassell who had previously won a gold Paralympic medal in 1996 for his sailing and he invited me to go and sail with him for the weekend to show me what it is like. Over the weekend I understood that the disabled side is just the same. Andy never cared what people thought of him and was a huge inspiration, changing the course of my sailing career. He taught me that it wasn’t the weaker option and I think that going down the disabled sailing path gave me far more opportunities than I would have had if I hadn’t.

Ditch the Label: Were there ever any forces pushing against you succeeding as a Paralympian? How did you overcome them?
Hannah Stodel: Yes, a lot of people said things behind my back but my family and I are all very close and so we never let outside influences affect us. My mum even put the family home on the line to keep me sailing, we just kept going and believed that it was the right thing to do and it was.

Ditch the Label: Do you think that you had the same sort of mental and emotional challenges as Olympians?
Hannah Stodel: The Paralympics are different to the Olympics. Yes we do the same sport but the Paralympics is also about seeing people who have overcome adversity competing. I think that the attitudes are different. We all just get on with it, enjoy ourselves and live our lives. I think that we are more competitive and stubborn than the Olympians though!

Ditch the Label: How has being a Paralympian changed your life?
Hannah Stodel: It has really opened my eyes to other disabilities. Previously I had never looked at others and it amazes me to see so many incredible people and I wonder how they manage. I find it hard to open a tin of Tuna but then I see triple amputees do the most amazing things; it just puts it all into perspective.

Ditch the Label: Knowing what you know now and could go back in time, would you do anything differently?
Hannah Stodel: That’s a very interesting question! I would have certainly stood up to people a lot more. Growing up I was happy to just let people say stuff as long as it avoided confrontation. I would just leave people to say things behind my back; knowing what I do now, it has made my life better.

Ditch the Label: Do you have any advice for anybody with a disability who is currently experiencing prejudice or is being bullied?
Hannah Stodel: Do not waste time thinking about how it will affect you in later life and do not worry about the future. It is easy to say it but ignore what others think and be happy with who you are. Some people are always going to say things and judge others for being different. If you are happy with you that is all that matters, it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks, no matter how close they are to you. Once you get into that frame of mind, the rest comes easily.

Ditch the Label: What kind of advice would you give to a young person currently trying to deal with bullying?
Hannah Stodel: Find somebody you trust and tell them everything. Trying to deal with it on your own is way too tough and it is important that you find somebody that you can tell everything to. My personal ethos is to never give up, I even have it tattooed on me. It’s the one message that I live by. Even when you feel screwed, never give up and it will come good in the end.

The post Hannah Stodel on Being a Disabled Paralympian and Ditch the Label appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

Ditch the Label wristbands are black on the inside, white on the outside and have our logo along with 1 of 5 captions embossed across the outside of the band. Each caption correlates to a different Ditch the Label strap line or message and act as great ways to promote our strong ethos for equality.

All profits from the sales of the wristbands will go straight back into Ditch the Label: enabling us to build up the resources required in order to maintain and develop new and existing support networks both online and offline for young people trying to combat bullying.

It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, gay, straight, asexual, disabled, skinny, curvy, old, young, interested in sports, work in a salon or feel good in drag – we think you’re amazing. Things like the colour of your skin, your sexuality, appearance, interests or disability shouldn’t define you. We’re fighting against stereotypes and bullying. Join us.

The post Ditch the Label Wristbands Are Here! appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.

Join us on Wednesday evening for the launch of our well anticipated wristband merchandise. All profits go towards the development of Ditch the Label so that we can continue to provide new and existing support services to the victims of bullying both online and offline.

Help spread the message and share this event to your Facebook! We will keep you updated so check back regularly.

- Ditch the Label x

The post ★ ☆ Santa’s Coming Early This Year – Ditch the Label Wristbands ☆ ★ appeared first on Ditch the Label - Anti-Bullying Charity.