Hangin’ with Hannah - Bullying is

Bullying is not Cool!

Hannah Swinnerton is a passionate advocate for mental health and works hard against bullying due to her own experiences from prep to year 12. In this issue, we interview Hannah about her journey and about her new group: Young People with a Purpose: You Are Not Alone.

What’s your experience with bullying?

It started in primary school where I was bullied severely because of my size; I wasn’t skinny. I had people picking on me, calling me horrific names. The teachers did nothing and it just went on and on throughout primary school. When I hit secondary college it was worse. Way worse!

People were cruel, people were nasty, there was no escape from it. I got bullied going to and from school and after school. Because of social media I had people cutting out pictures of my head and sticking it on pigs and cows and then uploading it to social media.

The bullying kept going and I’d just go home crying every night and lock myself in my room, because I couldn’t stand it. Eventually I got to the point where I couldn’t take anymore and I went to mum and said enough is enough! We went to the doctors and I got diagnosed with major depression and anxiety.

The bullying kept going and going and, at the end of year 12, I was ready to give up on life. I went home one day and wrote a speech about how I felt, which I read out at my school. Things changed a bit after that.

When you were being bullied how’d that make you feel?

It made me feel like I didn’t belong. Like I was just sad, angry, alone, frustrated, annoyed and upset.

So, writing that letter let you free yourself?

Yeah, well, when I was getting bullied, I would tell the teachers, but they did nothing, it just went on and on. Writing my speech really empowered me. After the speech, many of the people that had bullied me came up and apologised and that helped a lot too.

What sort of support system have you had?

My family. They’ve been really good; they’ve encouraged me to get support and been there for me the whole time, through school when the bullying was going on. Yeah, just being in a loving family has helped.

Did you have any doctors prescribe you any prescription drugs to help you cope?

When they diagnosed me, they did talk about it and I did go on one which helped me just a little bit. I went off it, because some of the

medicines make you sick and then I tried another one that was okay. But when I started going to the gym and using that for coping - I just stopped using them. I know you can get addicted to them and I didn’t want to go down that path.

“People were cruel, people were nasty, there was no escape from it. I got bullied going to and from school and after school.”

What’s the Group you started? What do you do there?

It’s called Young People with a Purpose: You Are Not Alone. What we’re doing is getting young people to share their stories and go from there. The purpose is to let young people know that they do have a place where they can share their stories, to just chat and that they’re not alone. Especially with the Corona Virus. It’s really difficult, you can’t go to the gym. It’s tough stuff and you feel isolated.

What sort of encouragement do you have for people who are currently going through a tough time and who possibly feel at their worst?

Try and find something you love. For example, I’ve been doing Diamond Picture just to get through this lockdown. But yeah, try and find something to do, something you love to keep you occupied; go for a walk, talk to people, check in with friends and family. Know that you’re not alone and that, if you’re having a tough time there’s plenty of hotlines and support numbers out there.

See our Guide for details.

How do you feel now as an adult, having been through

all of it?

I feel pretty good, I’ve done heaps of things. I’ve done pageants up on the Gold Coast and I’ve done a few pageants down here in Hastings and many other exciting things. I’ve been interviewed by Channel 7, by the newspaper and, since I graduated in 2012, I’ve been doing advocacy for mental health and bullying.

“…if you’re having a tough time there’s plenty of hotlines and support numbers out there.”

Anyone who is suffering from any sort of bullying or needs help please contact any of the various help lines. If you are a young person between the age of 13 and 30 and are interested in connecting with Hannah check out the Facebook link

Young People with a Purpose: You Are Not Alone.

Hannah also wants to recognise that her program is proudly supported by; That’s the thing about Fishing and Frankston Community Connect.