Aaron has anti-bully message wrapped up

Jan 21 2008 by Emma Davison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AN ANTI-BULLYING message is in the frame at Huddersfield Art Gallery.

The new exhibition, named Sticks & Stones, is the result of a project with local schoolchildren organised by Victim Support West Yorkshire (VSWY) and Barnardo’s Missing In Yorkshire project.

The exhibition, which runs until the end of March, shows work by youngsters who took part in the issues-based photography and arts project at Rawthorpe High School last year.

The project was jointly headed by VSWY’s Young People’s Empowerment Project and Barnardo’s.

It allowed the young people involved to explore issues such as bullying and crime and their thoughts and feelings.

Stephanie Morgan, Young People’s Empowerment Project Leader for VSWY, said: “The Sticks & Stones exhibition offers us the opportunity to celebrate the hard work and dedication that all the young people involved demonstrated throughout the project.

“The simple act of incorporating art into their activities enabled them to recognise bullying behaviour and the associated conflict and resolution issues in an innovative and thought-provoking way.”

One of the photographs forming part of the exhibition features eight-year-old Aaron O’Keefe who was asked to remain silent while another child wrapped him in toilet paper.

The exercise was used by the young people to explore feelings of isolation and helplessness, something they all associated with the experience of bullying.

Many other photographs feature in the exhibition, along with a selection of canvasses which were painted using colours that the children felt demonstrated emotions.

There is also a ‘strength wall’, which was built using decorated tiles to illustrate where the children would draw strength from as a result of bullying.

The Sticks & Stones project was funded by the Kirklees Neighbourhood Renewal Fund through the Rawthorpe and Dalton Youth Consortium for Action and Leisure. Around 25 young people aged between seven and 15 took part in the project.