Ntando Mahlangu is the new Ambassador for Cartoon Network’s Be A Buddy Anti-Bullying campaign. He is discussing bullying and how to deal with it effectively!
South Africa (11 July 2017) – It has been a few weeks now that Ntando Mahlangu has been the face and ambassador for Cartoon Network’s Be A Buddy’ Anti-bullying campaign. We discussed this awesome accomplishment last month when the announcement was made.
Since the start of the Campaign, Ntando has been a brilliant spokesperson! He has discussed how bullying affected him growing up, how children would talk because he was a little different from them! He has also been sharing tips on how to deal with bullying, whether it affects you directly or indirectly!
There are loads of tips on the Be A Buddy website about how to handle bullying. Here are a few:
- Don’t fight back or use physical force – You can never be sure how the bully will react. You could get hurt or in trouble!
- Try hard not to get angry – If you’re in a situation where you can’t walk away and have to deal with the bully, don’t get mad. Try using humour or even being friendly. It shows that you’re not scared and it can throw the bully totally off guard.
- Tell someone about being bullied – Tell a teacher, your parents, caregiver, a friend or even Childline or SaveTNet—anyone you trust who can give you the support you need!
- Keep a diary – Save any nasty SMS, WhatsApp or any other messages or emails that have been sent to you. Write down everything that happened, the dates, who was involved, any witnesses, etc. Also check your school’s anti-bullying policy. This will tell you what your school should do about the bullying – and by keeping a diary you have evidence.
Here is what to do if your child witnesses bullying but doesn’t know what to do:
- Never laugh or join in with the bullying – If you do, you become part of the problem.
- Speak up but don’t fight the one who bullies. Inform someone or tell the bully that you don’t support their behaviour.
- Be a friend to the person that is being bullied. Believe what they say.
- Let the victim know you are sorry about the situation. Help them understand it is certainly not their fault!
- Encourage the victim to talk to an adult about it. Maybe even offer to go along with them if they’re scared.
Ntando and his friends from ‘Jumping Kids’ sat down to discuss bullying, watch it below. The website also offers advise from professionals, they are available in English, Afrikaans, Sotho and Zulu.
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