In January, 14-year-old Northern Territory girl Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett took her own life after relentless cyberbullying. The final drawing Dolly ever made, a black and white sketch, bears the words: “speak, even if your voice shakes”. Dolly’s message has become a haunting reminder of the impact of bullying—and the desperate need to put an end to it.
Ahead of the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence on Friday, Channel 10’s The Project delivered a plea to all young Australians to stamp out bullying.
The segment featured a host of famous faces including Margot Robbie, Liam Payne, Troye Sivan, Samantha Jade, Peking Duk and Kayla Itsines.
“I’m not the right person to talk to young Australians about it. They don’t want another out-of-touch guy on the TV telling them what’s up,” host Waleed Aly said at the beginning of the segment before cutting to the famous faces.
“While not all bullying ends in suicide, suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians,” Robbie explained in the video.
“We must all make it easier for those who are bullied to speak, even if their voice shakes,” Payne added.
Sivan advised: “If you’re being bullied, know that you’re not alone, you’re loved. Be who you are, be proud.”
After the video message, Carrie Bickmore and her Project co-hosts wiped away tears.
“We’ve got a whole audience full of schoolkids today and watching them gasp when they saw those people with that message I think, was incredibly powerful,” an emotional Bickmore said.
“I can’t get past the fact that that’s a conversation for us – that Dolly’s family’s life…”
Aly added: When you’re a parent, you know how terrifying the concept of bullying is, and how helpless you feel with the prospect of it.”
Watch the powerful message in full below.
You can find out more about the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence here.
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