Powerful anti-bullying campaign urges young people to ‘speak, even if your voice shakes’
One in four Australian school kids will be bullied this year. One in seven won’t tell anyone. Those 340,000 kids are the target of a powerful new campaign by anti-bullying charity, Dolly’s Dream.
The charity, which was founded in memory of 14-year-old Dolly Everett, who took her own life after relentless and sustained bullying and cyber bullying, has partnered with creative agency The Open Arms in a bid to break the silence around bullying.
The campaign aims to generate awareness and rally community support for the anti-bullying movement in the lead-up to Do It For Dolly Day on Friday May 12. The day serves as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on bullying while also raising funds for the charity's services, such as a 24-hour support line staffed by counsellors, anti-bullying workshops in schools and provided online resources.
The charity, founded by Dolly's parents, Kate and Tick Everett, is credited with providing support to tens of thousands of Australian families and takes a particular focus on rural and regional communities.
Advertisement
The powerful film features Dolly's parents, who deliver the line: “Speak, even if your voice shakes.” The words, taken from an artwork created by Dolly shortly before she died, are a haunting reminder of the isolating enormority of being bullied.
Kate Everett said of the campaign: “It felt right for us to bring Dolly’s words to life for this year’s campaign. So many young people are affected by bullying, and the film captures the fear so many kids face, yet shows that Dolly’s Dream can be a voice of hope.”
Jess Lilley, creative director & co-founder of The Open Arms, says: “When my child was bullied I was shocked by how long it took them to tell me. With this campaign we felt a responsibility to every kid in this situation. We also felt a responsibility to Dolly’s legacy and the tireless work Kate and Tick do to help other families. When they deliver Dolly’s words, it represents the powerful message that no kid should go through this alone.”
The 60-second film, which was directed by Maddelin McKenna with Commoner Films, is running nationally on TV and cinema, and is supported by outdoor, press, radio, digital and social.