Follow along to find out what our brilliant Young ABA NI group did in 2025!
Meeting 1 : Thursday 27th March 2025
Our first Young ABA NI Meeting of the year took place in March and was incredibly insightful and fun! We kicked off the day with a few ice breaker games where we got to know each other better. The cohort shared their anti-bullying superpowers, celebrities they would team up with to stop bullying, and more. We then collectively created a group contract for the rest of the year.
For the first session of the day, we conducted Anti-Bullying Basics training for the cohort, which covered the definition of bullying, its prevalence and impact, the roles individuals play in making bullying a group behaviour, and more.
The Wall of Change
We then had our interactive Wall of Change activity, where the young people used post-it notes to build an insightful and vibrant display. They explored what aspects of anti-bullying they are most interested in, and what makes them want to take action! Topics ranged from the blurred lines between banter and bullying, to the impact of social media, and the importance of speaking up. This powerful wall of change will be pivotal in shaping our YABA discussions and activities through the year.
For the final leg of our meeting, the cohort provided some fantastic input on our Anti-Bullying Week 2025 theme and logo.
We are excited to hear many more of their brilliant ideas over the course of the year!
Meeting 2: Tuesday 29th April 2025
Our second meeting was held online, and we were joined by both the England and NI YABA cohorts. We kicked off the session with a fun ice breaker activity to get to know each other better - covering everything from opinions on pineapple on pizza to favourite social media platforms and more.
Childnet, an online safety charity, then delivered an extremely relevant and interactive session on Generative AI as a form of bullying and online sexual harassment. The cohort shared their brilliant input which will help inform Childnet’s work in the area.
We then moved on to talk about Anti-Bullying Week 2025: Power for Good. The Young ABA members shared their excitement for the theme and logo, and we cannot wait to hear about the great ideas they come up with as we continue planning for this year’s Anti-Bullying Week.
The cohort then participated in social media training, led by a member of our very own ABA Team, where we explored the key elements of engaging social media content, and showed the group impactful examples, some created by previous YABA cohorts.
We look forward to our next YABA meeting which will be held in June for our NI cohort!
Meeting 3 : Tuesday 24th June 2025
With preparations for Anti-Bullying Week 2025 well underway, we were delighted have our third meeting with the NI Young ABA cohort where he heard their creative ideas for the week and more.
Young ABA NI - 3rd Meeting
The online meeting started with our fun ice breakers as usual, before we recorded a thought-provoking podcast with the young people. The group discussed a range of topics from what it meant to be an upstander in bullying situations, to how social media platforms can support people who want to speak out against bullying. We are excited to share these podcast clips as part of our Anti-Bullying Week: Power for Good campaign, which leads us to the final activity for the day!
The cohort discussed social media campaign ideas in smaller teams and pitched their plans back to the group. Their inputs will be pivotal in shaping our resources and campaign this November. As we inch closer to Anti-Bullying Week, we look forward to engaging with and seeing all the contributions YABA NI and other young people will make during the week!