Sugababes speak out against bullying
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Tuesday, 24, Oct 2006 05:14
The Sugababes are leading a number of celebrities speaking out against bullying as part of their support of the Samaritans' new campaign for schoolchildren.
Deal (Developing Emotional Awareness and Learning) has been launched today in schools across the UK and Ireland in an attempt to help young people to deal with the stresses of growing up and instances of bullying.
Keisha Buchanan, the longest-running member of the current trio's line-up, urged young people to "always accentuate the good things about yourself and don't hide behind your insecurities".
She added: "If you need to talk to somebody don't be scared. Speak out, don't bottle things up."
Sugababes' newest recruit Amelle Berrabah has called on teachers to play a vital role in identifying and tackling any bullying in their classrooms.
"Teachers should keep an eye out for any change in a kid's behaviour and make themselves available for their students to talk to," she said.
"They should also encourage kids to write things down if they find it too hard to talk about their problems out loud."
BBC presenter and Samaritans supporter Jeremy Paxman added: "Young people often go through tough times at school. Samaritans' Deal programme equips students with the emotional skills to cope with life's challenges and reduces the stigma of asking for help."
And Danny McNamara, lead singer of Embrace, said: "Everyone puts on a brave face when they have problems. Young people find it harder than anyone to ask for help - they're usually the last ones to ask for help when they need it."