Former Olympian, Ian Thorpe, will host a three-part series set to air on the ABC focusing on bullying.
Thorpe revealed in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph that he would host The Bully Project, a documentary on bullying in schools.
Thorpe told the paper he hoped the programme would provide a talking point on the issue.
“I thought it was important we started not only the conversation about this in Australia, but also got to a point where we’re coming up with the resolutions as well,’’ Thorpe said.
Thorpe shared that he was a survivor of childhood bullying, and that teachers were also involved in his victimisation. He eventually left the public school system and was home schooled instead.
“I have some personal experience around the issue of bullying so I want to share my insights to help Australian kids,” he said in a statement.
He suggested children often don’t mention bullying to their parents ‘because they don’t want to involve them, to burden them with this, or think it’s going to stop’.
The swimmer is encouraging Queenslanders from 14 to 18 years of age who have been bullied to contact stopbullying.tv.
The series will follow a number of bullied teens, who will carry concealed cameras in a backpack to film the physical violence and abuse they endure each day.
The secret footage will then be played back to parents, siblings, teachers and other students to highlight the real impact and damage being done by the anti-social and sometimes, criminal behaviour.
