Almost 400,000 Australian school children are set to attend a national anti-bullying lesson next week.
yourtown CEO Tracy Adams said the Kids Helpline @ School event had seen a 15-fold increase in registrations from last year’s online lesson.
Ms Adams said 394,000 primary and secondary students across Australia had registered for the largest-ever national anti-bullying lesson on Monday, August 11.
“That’s 15 times more students than last year’s event, which reached just over 26,000 students—and with registration still open, numbers are climbing daily,” she said.
Ms Adams said it was powerful to see so many children, young people, and schools leaning into this important issue.
“It tells us loud and clear that students want to feel safe, respected, and included, and they want to be part of the solution.”
She said Kids Helpline @ School, a free virtual education program delivered by yourtown, would deliver two 20-minute virtual lessons – one designed for primary and one for secondary students – at the Bullying No Way Week event.
“The content is curriculum-aligned, developmentally appropriate, engaging, and packed with expert tips, tools, and real-world insights.”
Ms Adams said the content was developed by qualified Kids Helpline counsellors who supported young people dealing with bullying every day.
She said each session was free of charge and streamed live to classrooms across the country, with educators able to access a recording, so they could engage at a time that suited their class.
“Importantly, parents, carers and other concerned adults are also invited to register and join, helping build a shared understanding and whole-community approach to preventing and responding to bullying.”
Ms Adams said in 2024, Kids Helpline recorded over 3500 counselling sessions directly related to bullying, and more than 200,000 young people accessed bullying-related content online.
Register for Kids Helpline’s largest anti-bullying lesson.
