A Web site project out of Bragg Creek has been honoured at the international Childnet Awards in Washington, D.C.
The Bullying Project, the brainchild of Cochrane-area educator Bill Belsey, won third place in the Charity/Not-For-Profit category of the Cable and Wireless Childnet Awards.
To enter the United Kingdom-run competition, children must develop innovative international projects designed for use by students under the age of 18 that involve information and communications technology.
Belsey worked with students at Banded Peak Elementary School in Bragg Creek to create www.bullying.org. He said the site’s first objective was to let kids who are going through this problem know that they are not alone.
“We’re not setting ourselves up as guidance counsellors, but kids’ voices need to be heard, in a safe and respectful way,” Belsey said in an interview with Business Edge Jan. 31, 2001.
What started out as a little lunch-hour club at Banded Peak School seems to have touched a nerve around the world. The site receives between 2,000-3,000 unique visitors every week, Belsey said.
This year’s Childnet Awards attracted a record 200 entries from 47 countries. Two other Canadian entries, both from Ontario, also won awards.
