Tracy Ann Oberman has contributed an interview to The Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Campaign blog.

The new academic year began this week for most UK schools but, sadly, almost half of all young people report being bullied at some point during their school life and 20,000 young people truant each day as a result of bullying. The Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying charity aims to change this statistic by supporting the training of young people to be Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in their schools and communities.

The charity runs a blog on its website, and a few days ago they interviewed Tracy Ann about her school years. In the interview she talks candidly about her own experiences of bullying at school, and how a mean, competitive learning environment led to feelings of alienation. She also provides a few pointers for young people returning to school after the holidays, saying: “Be your own best friend and ally! Know your own unique skills and value them.”, and some guidance for parents who might be worried about their kids being bullied.

Her final words offer advice which even those of us who left school a long time ago would do well to heed: ” There’s nothing ‘cool’ about meanness, no matter how pretty, talented, funny and clever those kids seem. Only hang out with people who make you feel good.” Wise words.

To read the interview in full head over here. And to find out more about the anti-bullying charity and the work they do, click on the link at the very beginning of this post, above.