The QLS Network’s award-winning initiative returned on Sunday 20 November with an afternoon of inspirational talks, live music and raffles, attended by over 1000 students and educators from across Greece. The 3rd QLS Online Anti-Bullying Festival was organised as part of Anti-Bullying Week 2022 and QLS’s 7th Volunteering Year “Make A Difference With QLS”.
- The Festival opened with greetings from QLS Chair, Georgia Papas and Fred Featham, QLS Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator and Events Curator, who organised and moderated the event.
- Humanitarian and social action campaigner Anna McGovern, who has received awards from the British Palace and the British Prime Minister, gave an inspirational presentation, live from the UK. Anna presented the “Stop, Speak, Support” anti-cyberbullying campaign she worked on as a member of Prince William’s Royal Foundation Taskforce, followed by a Q & A.
- The next presentation was by members of a Greek non-profit association focusing on the prevention of the sexual abuse of children called A.XE.P.T. (Ασφαλή Ξένοιαστα Παιδιά Τώρα) which stands for Safe Carefree Children Presently. A.XE.P.T. was awarded by the World Association for Sexual Health in 2019 for their work and their mascot, Frixos the hedgehog. Margarita Gerouki, Chair, and Elena Vitalaki, member of A.XE.P.T., delivered an enlightening presentation and answered questions from the young audience.
- The third and final special guest of the day was acclaimed singer and songwriter Rosey Blue performing songs from her debut album “Swans” and addressing the issue of bullying by answering the attendees’ questions.
The Festival wrapped up with a raffle kindly sponsored by QLS, Express Publishing and Hamilton House Publishers.
The Festival was presented by 3 of the QLS National Youth Board’s Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, trained by The Diana Award royal charity with which QLS shares a longtime partnership.
As part of the Festival, the QLS National Youth Board launched the inaugural issue of its new Anti-Bullying Newspaper “New Generations” which can be downloaded here: https://www.qls.gr/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/efimerida-EN.pdf
