Following the popularity of the Elephant in the Room Art Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery last autumn, Wild in Art in partnership with the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation are launching a brand new stampede of Anti Bullying Elephant sculptures that will go on display in this year’s Anti Bullying Week(15th – 19th November 2010).

This mass public appeal art event will culminate in an exhibition created by children from every corner of the country as they share one vision: to stamp out bullying!

Creating an Anti Bullying Elephant is accessible to children of all abilities and can be used to open up the forum for debate on bullying in schools… Pupils are encouraged to communicate hard-hitting anti-bullying messages through the use of colourful images, statements and patterns designed onto their elephant sculptures.  

The elephants are powerful tools that help unite children across year groups and school communities as they work towards their common goal.

FREE TEACHING RESOURCE: ‘An Elephant in the Room’ - A Creative Approach to Tackling Bullying in Schools.
 
A FREE Anti Bullying Elephant Education Pack will be available from September. The resource has been written by practicing teachers in partnership with Learning Mentors and includes a range of activities and ideas that will help children develop and explore new social skills including:

Working co-operatively in groups

Self motivation

Resolving Conflict

Saying ‘NO’ to Bullying

Year Group       Key Stages 2 & 3
Subject Areas   Citizenship, PSHE, Art & Design
Supporting      ECM, Healthy Schools and SEAL
Pub.Date        September 2010

ANTI BULLYING ELEPHANT SCULPTURES ARE NOW AVAILABLE @ £450 from Duncan@wildinart.co.uk

Highlights of last year’s exhibition  

  

Wild in Art is the leader in the provision of mass public appeal art projects for schools and communities.  It pioneers 21st century learning by supporting creativity and innovation through a range of resources and events.  
 
Discovery and learning are central to all Wild in Art activities meaning anyone can get involved and benefit either through a one off project or as part of a whole city event.   Wild in Art also tailors schemes for community groups and outreach programmes encouraging learners of all ages and abilities to unleash their creative talents!  For more information http://www.wildinart.co.uk/

Comments from last year:

Judith Hall Family Support Manager, St Andrew's CE Primary School, Eccles  “I just wish I could bottle all their enthusiasm and everything we’ve learned from this project.  It’s given the anti-bullying message a really high profile in school, and everyone has totally grasped what peer mentoring is all about.”   

Jane Clarke, Peer Mentor Coordinator Brookhill Leys Primary, Notts “Working on Brook has bought the whole school together. We were a bit sad to wave her off to join her herd in London … but while she’s away, the children are making her an anti-bullying jungle... during anti bullying week each child in the school will make a leaf and write anti bullying slogans on it… all the leaves will then be collected together to make Brook’s jungle!”

Rosemary Burton, Chapel En Le Frith High School “The benefits of Billy are many and on-going! Having the elephant to decorate and to discuss bullying, has allowed the topic - which is often discussed and learnt throughout pupils' school life as a serious, hurtful and damaging - to be dealt with in a safe, lively environment where pupils could share openly their feelings and experiences whilst involved in a project which they adopted with enthusiasm and joy.  The elephant became a vehicle for acknowledging that bullying happens but embodies that together we can do something about it. Billy is a great tool to assist the transition process  ...We invite our feeder primaries in to meet him during anti bullying week, take photos of him and use some of the worksheets from your education pack so that pupils can create their own designs.  So the links go on and the message that bullying can be dealt with goes on.
 
I would imagine if it were possible to total the number of people - children and adults who will be touched in some positive way by this project, and to balance this against the monetary costs, that penny for penny this has been one of the 'best investments' of the year.”

Creativity and Leadership Consultant and National Teaching Award winner Richard Gerver, is a great supporter of this initiative: “Teamwork, a sense of belonging and community are three of the great anchors that will help our children not only survive but thrive in the complexities of their futures. To see work of this nature being developed in our schools is hugely encouraging and deserves our full support.

The act of creating, of co-creating something to improve the feel and climate of a community is a journey of real importance and one which offers real optimism in these quite complex times. To link the work with anti bullying and the promotion of positive relationships only adds to the project’s power and value. Long may the elephants roam!

Image Captions:
Image 1 - NELSON – in all his glory at the Saatchi Gallery

Image 2 -The children of St Andrew’s CE Primary with their blank elephant (later to become NELSON)

Image 3 - Brookhill Leys Primary pupils working on ‘BROOK’