Katherine residents will face up to bullying in our community this Friday in memory of Amy "Dolly" Everett as cyber-bullying spikes during isolation.
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Dolly tragically took her own life at just 14 years of age in January 2018 following relentless bullying both online and in person.
Her parents Kate and Tick vowed her death would not be in vain, and their courage to speak ignited a nationwide conversation about bullying in Australian schools.
This push for greater awareness among both children and their parents continues this Friday through the second annual Do It For Dolly Day in her honour.
Adding to the day's significance is concerns about increased cyber-bullying during isolation after Australia recorded a 340 per cent increase in complaints of cyber-bullying over the Easter weekend.
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Local stunt-rider and riding instructor Becky Klingenberg will donate $10 from each lesson and conduct awareness activities with the kids this week in honour of the event.
She thinks even adults don't know how to navigate the 'grey space' around bullying.
"I have a lot to do with kids in our community through my work and they do seem to respect me because of my riding, so personally it's a chance to give back to the community in a way I see as important," Becky said.
"i often see kids come in upset about one thing or another, with a low demeanour and attitude and you can't really even ride a horse like that.
"There's still this grey space even I as an adult don't completely understand, particularly around how much it is okay to stand up for yourself and where the line is before they themselves become the bullies.
"I'm running little exercises with the kids where first they're the bully and I'm responding then we swap so they can see what a positive response might be for them and come up with ideas.
"But I do think so much more work needs to happen in this space, I think just like we do a first-aid course there needs to be an anti-bullying workshop for those working with kids every day," she said.
Organisers are asking people to wear blue - Dolly's favourite colour - for the day, organise fundraising efforts for anti-bullying campaigns and reflect upon the daily impact of bullying in our communities.
They also want people to use #DoItForDollyDay online to bring awareness, and engage in random acts of kindness from baking somebody a cake to leaving a positive review for a business online.
There will also be a student-organised fundraising drive at Katherine High School with a bake sale and children permitted to wear blue for the day in exchange for a gold coin donation.
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