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Rebuilding self-esteem

Recovering from bullying

Working with young people with learning disabilities to rebuild their lives after they have experienced bullying.

1) It's not your fault
Many people who have been bullied think that it is because of something they have done wrong. It is important to emphasise that this is not the case. Bullying happens for lots of reasons, but no-one deserves to be bullied.

2) You have a right not to be bullied
Half of all children with learning disabilities are bullied persistently for more than two years. Often, being bullied can feel like a fact of life. It is not. Every child has the right to a safe and secure childhood free of bullying. Let them know that they have the same right to be happy as anyone else.

Find out more about children's rights 

3) Learn to love yourself
Bullying can make people feel very bad about themselves. It is important to make young people feel proud of who they are and give them aspirations for the future.There are lots of exercises which can help young people to value themselves and others.

Activities to help build self-esteem:
Life Stories, Hopes and Dreams, 

4) Get back on the horse
40% of children with learning disabilities stay away from the places where they have been bullied. This means that they are missing out on a whole spectrum of experience and a lot of growing up. As long as it is safe, encourage them to go back to the places and situations where bullying has happened so that their experience is not always tainted by memories of bullying. This can mean that you have to overcome some of your own fears too.

5) Build a support network
Many young people with learning disabilities do not have many friends to turn to when they are being bullied. Encourage them to get involved with activities where they can make friends who they have something in common with. Taking up a new hobby, or going along to a club could help. ENABLELink is a project designed especially to help people with learning disabilities make friends and extend their social networks.

Find out more about ENABLELink