Cyber bullying campaign lands £5,000 from Glasgow Airport
24 May 2012
A local theatre company is set to raise awareness of cyber bullying, thanks to a £5,000 donation from Glasgow Airport’s FlightPath Fund.
PACE Theatre Company in Paisley, will use the funding to roll out a workshop devised and written to tackle cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying is when a young person is threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another young person using the internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.
The workshops, which will be delivered to 49 primary schools – around 2,500 pupils - in the Renfrewshire area, are designed to increase awareness of the issue, provide access to information and advice and to develop a greater understanding of young people’s experiences and fears about cyber bullying.
Established in 1988 PACE Theatre Company, which is the largest youth theatre in the UK with over 2,000 members, is a not-for-profit organisation which undertakes hundreds of community workshops each year in schools, libraries and other venues, including drama workshops for those with disabilities.
Campbell MacKinnon, operations director of Glasgow Airport, said: “The PACE cyber bullying campaign is a terrific initiative which will encourage young people to talk about and share experiences about issues relating to bullying. There is definitely a growing issue with online bullying and the impact it can have on the lives of young people, therefore we are only too happy to be involved with such a worthy initiative.”
David Wallace, Executive Director of PACE Theatre Company, said: “Cyber bullying is on the increase. This project will reach thousands of young people, raising awareness of the issues around cyber bullying to not only them but to their parents and to teaching staff. We are very grateful for the support of all at Glasgow Airport.”
Jim Sheridan, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, said: “The cyber bully campaign is a great initiative and a great example of the type of project the Glasgow Airport FlightPath Fund should be supporting. Over 2,500 young people in Renfrewshire will be involved in the workshops and I’m delighted it has targeted a number of schools within my constituency. I spent some time with some of the pupils of Glencoats and they are really looking forward to participating in the workshops.”
