As kids head back to school in 2025, Dolly’s Dream and Smiggle are asking parents and children to think about being kind as they are getting ready for the new school year.
The ever-increasing tide of discussions about online and in-person bullying in Australia is heightening awareness of potential harms for many families as the back-to-school period approaches.
According to Kate Everett, Dolly’s mum and co-founder of Dolly’s Dream, that’s why kindness campaigns like this are so vital, giving parents and caregivers a reason to talk to children in an age-appropriate way about the importance of choosing empathy and kindness, to help stop bullying before it even starts.
Dolly’s Dream is a national anti-bullying organisation that is dedicated to changing the culture of bullying by providing support, programs and resources for families, schools and communities to assist children and young people dealing with bullying. Once again, Smiggle has teamed up with them to encourage kids to be an upstander by choosing kindness and looking out for their friends and classmates.
Smiggle is calling on its thousands of fans across the country to drop into a Smiggle store and purchase a specially crafted collectable Choose Kindness Badge or Reusable Bag to raise much needed funds for Dolly’s Dream.
The Choose Kindness Badges and Reusable Bag add to a collection created by Smiggle especially for Dolly’s Dream each year.
Starting Wednesday 8 January, the badges will be available for $2 and the bags for $3 at Smiggle stores across Australia and online. All proceeds will go towards supporting Dolly’s Dream in providing resources,
programs, and support to Australian families, schools, and communities in the effort to end bullying.
Kate Everett said she’s asking Australian children to display their Choose Kindness badges and bags as a real reminder to choose kindness throughout the year. "We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Smiggle in 2025,” Kate said. “Dolly's Dream and Smiggle believe in the power of kindness, and together we aim to inspire a generation of compassionate and caring kids, stopping the bullying before it even starts.”
“Parents tell me it’s hard to find the information and support they need. I want every family across the country to know that Dolly’s Dream can help.”
“The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to start a conversation with your kids, reminding them to be kind and empathetic, to look after their friends and classmates, helping create a school environment where every child feels safe and supported.”
Sally Sweeney, Head of Dolly’s Dream said, “Dolly’s Dream delivers a range of programs and resources that provide practical, expert information and advice, answering the different needs of Australian families, schools and communities right across the country.”
“All the money raised with Smiggle goes directly to fund Dolly’s Dream resources and support programs including, the free 24-hour support line, school and community workshops, the free Beacon Cyber Safety App and the Parent Hub, all of which offer support and solutions for young people, parents, caregivers and communities to help stop bullying.”
Smiggle first partnered with Dolly’s Dream in 2020, with Smigglers raising over $170,000 to help continue their work. With Back to School the busiest time of the year in Smiggle stores, it is the ideal time to share information about the support and solutions offered to families by Dolly’s Dream.
The new Choose Kindness Reusable Bag and Badges offer families who have supported the cause in the past, another way to add to their collection and maintain their commitment to Dolly’s Dream. Everyone is also invited into a Smiggle store to create a free Kindness Chatterbox, a sweet opportunity to explore being kind with friends and family.
Actor and Dolly’s Dream Ambassador, Pia Miranda sees the Choose Kindness initiative as a fun, but important, way to start some hard conversation with the kids.
“As a mum myself, bullying is something I am concerned with and helping stop this behaviour and providing support to anyone who needs it is something close to my heart,” Pia said.
“My advice to parents is to check in with your kids, see how they are feeling about heading back to school, talk about what’s going on, and use it as your way to stay connected for the rest of the year. Having some fun when we have these deeper conversations can help us get the messages across.”
Dr Charlotte Keating, Clinical Psychologist and Advisory Board member for Dolly’s Dream, said the beginning of the school year is an ideal time for gently opening up the lines of conversation with your children to encourage trust and confidence.
“Given a report released earlier this year found that Australian school students were most bullied among comparable English-speaking countries with around one in six students saying they have been made fun of by peers*, it's critical to have conversations with children and young people about what bullying is, and the steps they can take to get help,” Dr Keating said.
“A study conducted by the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne revealed that parents’ top three biggest concerns for children’s health in Australia are: screen time, bullying and cyber bullying, and internet safety.**
Dolly’s Dream provides practical resources to empower parents and carers with the tools they need to support their child to engage online, and how to respond to
bullying,” Dr. Keating added.
“A recent review of interventions*** has shown that school-based cyberbullying prevention programs are effective in reducing cyberbullying in school-age students and can also reduce face-to-face bullying. Implementation is key: a whole school approach to combatting cyberbullying is most effective when it is embedded into all school policies, practices, and culture—ensuring it is not treated as an isolated issue.”
“Teaching children to choose kindness, and modelling it in our interactions with them, plays a key part in creating positive, safe cultures,” Dr Keating said.
The Dolly’s Dream Support Line is a free, Australia wide, confidential, 24-hour telephone and webchat service with qualified counsellors available to help by calling 0488 881 033.
The Beacon Cyber Safety App provides families with trustworthy, practical resources to help them confidently navigate their child’s technology use and help address challenging issues such as screen time, gaming and cyberbullying.
The Parent Hub is a free online information hub where the research has been done for you. Read from the most trusted information sources about online safety and bullying.
Dolly’s Dream also offer a range of online safety and anti-bullying workshops that can be tailored to students of all ages, as well as parents, teachers and the general community.
These are just some of the ways the funds raised by the sale of the collectable Smiggle Choose Kindness badges and reusable bags will help Dolly’s Dream change cultures and behaviours in a positive way, helping put an end to bullying.
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