SAMMY Pearce knows how it feels to be bullied.
The 11-year-old Cedar Grove boy was haunted by death threats and had his head flushed down the toilet when he was in grade two before moving to Veresdale Scrub State School.
“I was told to ignore (being bullied). You can’t ignore it when your head is being flushed down the toilet,” he said.
Four years later, he has become the first ambassador for anti-bullying organisation the Dream Guards at his school.
The Dream Guards visit schools across Australia and provide positive motivational talks to develop resilience, self-esteem, and self-confidence in children.
Mr Pearce was inspired after listening to the Dream Guards presentation and decided to take action.
“When the Dream Guards came they told me I had power and I felt stronger, (I felt) like I could do something about it,” he said.
Mr Pearce’s mother Petra Tarnhamn said she witnessed her son transform from a shy student to a confident leader.
“When Sammy moved to Veresdale Scrub State School he was shy and scared of being bullied,” she said.
“I picked him up from school one Friday, weeks after a Dream Guards presentation and he said he was so angry that he was going to do a protest.
“He refused to wear his school uniform and came to school with his anti-bullying Dream Guards shirt instead.
“I thought it was cute and sent it to Dream Guards. That is when they decided to make him an ambassador.
“If you have an ambassador at the school and someone being bullied needs support, it will be less scary for them to get help. The idea to have a back-up friend is brilliant.”
On June 21, Mr Pearce started an ambitious mission to eliminate schoolyard bullying following a meeting with Scenic Rim MP Jon Krause.
Mr Krause sponsored a petition for the Queensland government to immediately introduce anti-bullying education for primary aged students.
Mr Pearce has already secured more than 590 signatures, and is aiming to reach 10,000 by October 15.
He said it was important to teach compassion at a young age to ensure it flowed through to adult life.
“I am hoping they can bring an anti-bullying subject into primary schools,” he said.
“If you teach people to be kind to each other now there will be a new generation in time...that new generation will have learned not to bully each other or be violent.
“I am going to carry hard copies with me everywhere I go and am hoping the petition will go viral on the internet.”
Scenic Rim MP Jon Krause said Mr Pearce was the driving force behind the petition.
“As a young student from Veresdale Scrub State School in the Scenic Rim, it is amazing how much Sammy has been able to achieve in the community,” he said.
“His work with anti-bullying group, The Dream Guards, and the Facebook group he established, Bully Free Schools in Australia, shows Sammy’s dedication to this important topic. For someone so young, it is great to see.
“Bullying is an issue that is above politics – our young people are the future and we need to support them in any way we can and that is why I am sponsoring Sammy’s petition to the Queensland Parliament.”
Support Sammy’s anti-bullying petition by clicking on the link.
