TEENAGERS at a Barrhead school have pledged to tackle bullying after signing up to a national campaign.

Staff and pupils at St Luke’s High will put the experiences of young people directly at the heart of a bid to beat the bullies.

It’s hoped the approach will positively impact the school by empowering its students to directly contribute to anti-bullying policy-making and initiatives.

The shift in focus towards the leadership of young people is being spurred by Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service, respectme, in a new campaign called ‘Change Starts with Us.’

Jesse Mitchell, principal teacher for health and wellbeing at St Luke’s High, said: “The school is supporting the Change Starts With Us anti-bullying campaign because we are committed to creating a respectful and welcoming environment for our students and staff.

“We are confident the anti-bullying approaches being led by our young people will help prevent bullying and foster positive relationships throughout the school and the wider community.”

St Luke’s High was one of 13 schools that attended respectme’s local campaign café, hosted at Coatbridge High, in North Lanarkshire, recently, which saw teachers and young people sharing ideas about anti-bullying work for the year ahead.

Katie Ferguson, service director for respectme, said: “Young people are experiencing bullying behaviour – they understand it and its impact – and therefore they should be the people we listen to when developing new strategies to address the problem.

“The Change Starts With Us campaign will galvanise young people to take charge, shape policy and create a culture of accountability and change.”

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