BULLYING became a part of Luke Getsom\u2019s life as soon as he started primary school and he didn\u2019t experience any relief until he was halfway through his secondary education.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that point, I\u2019d just had enough of it and stood up for myself a bit more, but at the same time, my friends weren\u2019t quite capable to stand up for themselves, so I stood up for a lot of them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got an opportunity to fundraise at Mount Clear College for a class project and from that, the teacher in charge of the project nominated me for young citizen of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having been awarded Golden Plains Shire\u2019s 2019 Young Citizen of the Year for his anti-bullying and cyberbullying campaigning, Mr Getsom wanted to use the platform to boost his message.<\/p>\n
This month, he\u2019s coordinating a fundraiser for Dolly\u2019s Dream, encouraging school communities to donate some money to the charity and start conversations about the impact bullying can have on young people.<\/p>\n
Dolly\u2019s Dream, a branch of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, was established after 14-year-old Amy \u2018Dolly\u2019 Everett took her own life in 2018, having been cyberbullied.<\/p>\n
Amongst others, Mr Getsom\u2019s former primary school in Scarsdale, Woady Yaloak, is committed to the cause, allocating 26 April as their day to start talking and get the ball rolling.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s now encouraging all primary and secondary schools in the region to get on board.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re [Woady Yaloak] going to have a free dress day and have a little chat with their class about bullying, why it\u2019s not ok and try and raise some money for Dolly\u2019s Dream,\u201d Mr Getsom said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s never going to stop, but we want to see many people just not getting bullied anymore. Even if only one person stops getting bullied, that\u2019s still a win. It\u2019s just trying to get someone a better life to start with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n