Cotton On Group brand Supré launches anti-bullying campaign
29th March, 2017
One in four Aussie girls aged 12 to 18 are bullied on a regular basis, both in-person and online. If you ask the Supre Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cotton On Group’s brand Supre, this is not an acceptable statistic – and they’re doing something about it.
The organisation recently announced a partnership with headspace and the Telethon Kids Institute to launch a campaign that aims to significantly decrease the amount of bullying and provide a Bullying Education and Prevention Resource Kit to schools across Australia. With a study of over 20,000 Australian students revealing girls are being bullied more often than boys, the move comes not a moment too soon.
As part of this resource kit, a pocket-sized companion booklet titled Bullying, So Not OK was released on March 27 containing information and advice to help girls combat bullying. The booklet wages battle on schoolyard bullying through social and emotional education, helping students to develop the skills and confidence needed to appropriately respond when they see bullying take place.
Over 100,000 of the free booklets will be handed out in Supré stores and headspace centres across Australia, as well as being available to download online at www.supre.com.au, www.headspace.org.au and www.telethonkids.org.au.
Supré General Manager, Elle Roseby said the anti-bullying campaign came about when customers demonstrated a need for mental support.
“The initiative was instigated when we asked our team and customers where they needed our help. Overwhelmingly our girl told us one thing – mental health, specifically bullying.
“As a brand, Supré talks to girls from 13 years of age upwards and 98 per cent of our team is female. If we can help even one girl, providing her with the support to deal effectively with bullying behaviour, then we’re on our way to achieving our vision.”
The face of the campaign, actress Lilly Van der Meer from Australian television series Neighbours, experienced bullying first hand during her high school years.
“Bullying is an issue that is close so my heart and I want to make sure girls know they are not alone and there is help out there,” she said.
On Saturday, April 1 Lilly will hand out the Bullying. So Not OK booklets at Supré Melbourne Central and share her words of advice. This forms part of an in-store event where customers can offer messages of support to girls who have experienced bullying.