A community mental health organisation is on the hunt for former bullies, victims of bullying and bully bystanders to share their stories to help combat related behaviours among Canberra teenagers.
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Mental Illness Education ACT is developing a cyber bullying prevention program to roll out to students in grade seven to 12.
The organisation centres its programs on sharing lived experiences, a method of teaching chief executive Heidi Prowse said was proven to have a positive impact.
Ms Prowse acknowledged it could be difficult for people to share their experiences but said it was an important element of preventing bullying behaviours among younger generations.
The final program would help students recognise, understand and unpack bullying behaviour, she said, providing support and hope to victims, bystanders and perpetrators themselves.
"What we really want to do is have all the positions of bullying behaviour, how you can approach it and make sure the stories are actually connected to each other," Ms Prowse said.
"It's certainly a confronting thing for someone to put their hand up, but those stories are so essential in sharing hope and recovery and we've found individuals are willing to come in and share their story in order to break the chain and make a change."
MIEACT won a $26,200 grant last year to develop the program, which will be offered to ACT schools in term two.
The federal government's Bullying No Way resource said one in four year 4 to 9 students reported being bullied frequently.
People interested in sharing their stories can contact Mental Illness Education ACT on 6257 1195.
