As kids head back to school, Smiggle is proudly partnering with Dolly’s Dream to encourage kids to

choose kindness again this January and look out for their friends and classmates.

Smiggle has raised over $200,000 since first introducing it’s Choose Kindness products that help

raise funds for Dolly’s Dream anti-bullying programs. With back to school the busiest time of the

year in Smiggle stores, it’s the ideal time to share information about the support and solutions

offered to families by Dolly’s Dream.

Dolly’s Dream is a national anti-bullying organisation dedicated to changing the culture of bullying

by providing bullying support programs and resources for families, schools and communities to

assist children and young people.

1 in 4 Australian students in grades 4 to 9 report being bullied in person every few weeks. This is a

statistic we can change together. Smiggle and Dolly’s Dream believe in the power of kindness, and

together we can share kindness far and wide.

According to Kate Everett, Dolly’s mum and co-founder of Dolly’s Dream, kindness campaigns like

this are 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.

Smiggle is calling on its thousands of fans across the country to drop into a Smiggle store and

purchase their $3 Choose Kindness Reuse Me Bag (available in store and online).

All proceeds from any Choose Kindness purchase goes directly to fund Dolly’s Dream resources

and support programs including their confidential bullying support line, school and community

workshops, the free Beacon Cyber Safety App and Bullying Support Hub, all of which offer support

and solutions for young people, parents, caregivers and communities to help stop bullying.

Everyone is also invited to get creative to spread kindness with Smiggle’s free Kindness Origami

Butterfly activity available in store and online. Fans can then gift their kindness butterfly to a friend

or family member or take it to their local Smiggle store where it will be proudly displayed on the

Choose Kindness Wal

‍

‍

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’re 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.”

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.

“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 cyberbullying 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.

The Dolly’s Dream Bullying Support Line is an Australia-wide, confidential telephone and webchat

service with qualified counsellors available to help.

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 Bullying Support 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.

For more information about Dolly’s Dream, visit dollysdream.org.au.

‍