Aaron Hughes launches anti-online bullying campaign in Greenisland

BT teamed up with the Irish Football Association and non-profit Cybersmile to launch the new educational platform with a roadshow at Greenisland FC.

Working with Cybersmile, BT has created the Hope United online education platform for young people designed to help tackle online hate, bullying and abuse. The modules are available to anyone, for free, at cybersmileeducation.org/cat/roadshow

They include:

Why hope beats hate - how hope can heal, empower, unite, inspire and save people;

The impact of online abuse - the implications of online abuse and how everyone can be a better digital citizen;

Digital self-care - discover how to look after mental and physical wellbeing by keeping a healthy balance between online and offline lives.

Hughes was in attendance to provide a masterclass at the Gleenkeen Avenue facility. Detailing his own experiences in an interview with this newspaper, the defender, who represented Northern Ireland between 1998 and 2018, said: “You get the odd little comment here and there, but nothing to the extent that I would class it as online bullying. It’s been around for a few years, but the issue itself has maybe raised its head a bit more over the last couple of years and there’s a lot more talk around it. Incidents have happened. When I was playing, it was maybe happening, but maybe wasn’t being talked about as much or people didn’t maybe know where to take that information or where to reach out for help. It’s not something that I’ve had a great deal of experience with, even in terms of some of my close teammates.

“It’s become a lot easier for people to talk now. People have a safer environment and they feel they can open up. They don’t feel afraid to do so or that they are weak in opening up. These things have been talked about more in a bid to try and help and raise awareness.”

Touching on the racist abuse Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to on social media following England’s loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, Hughes explained: “I think when it happens to high-profile people, that gets people talking about it. Equally, I think that’s why it’s a great thing to link BT and the IFA and how we can use football to raise awareness and promote the platform which is now available. Certainly, when it happens around high-profile sports people, that’s when you get most noise. That’s when it gets the conversation started. It’s good to be able to flip it and use football in a positive way.

“All it takes is one or two high-profile incidents for it all to blow up and in that regard, not saying it’s a good thing, but it’s a good thing that we start to talk about it and you realise how much of an issue it is, not just in sport, but in general.”

Commenting on how important a resource the new programme is, the former Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Fulham star said: “I think initiatives like this and the online platform, when you look at the challenges young people have today, it gives them somewhere to go to get information and get a little bit of help if they need it, or just to find out a little bit more and understand the issue and learn how to cope with it.

“It’s also good that it will help educate young kids and teach them not to get caught up in it. Like any big issue like this, I think education is key.

“Schemes like this definitely help. At the end of the day, all you can do is raise awareness and try and educate people. I guess the more we try to talk about it, get it out there and give young people more education about it and better tools to deal with it and give them places where they can go to learn about it, you like to think it will help. In that regard, it’s really important and hopefully we are moving in the right direction.

“Football is a good platform to launch it on. It’s a sport that lots of people play and they can relate to. With that, you can get lots of high-profile people involved. I’m really privileged to have been asked to be part of it. I wouldn’t class myself as high-profile, there are many more players who are more relevant. But from a personal point of view, I’m a dad, I’ve two teenage daughters, so as a parent it’s something I’m wary of.

“This is very much aimed at kids and where they can go. As a parent you sometimes don’t know where to go, so even creating that conversation and having kids talking about it with their parents is a really positive thing. I’m massively honoured to be involved. It’s a really important issue and if my involvement contributes to helping a little bit, I’m very happy to do so.”