TV star Luke's taking a stand against bullies
WITH his chiselled, film star good looks and cool style, actor Luke Pasqualino would be the last person you would expect to be the victim of bullies.
WITH his chiselled, film star good looks and cool style, actor Luke Pasqualino would be the last person you would expect to be the victim of bullies.But the 19-year-old former Walton School pupil who is currently earning rave reviews playing Freddie in E4 drama series Skins, suffered teasing as a boy.
And because of his experience and the rise of cyber-bullying – where children are sent nasty messages via text, e-mail and websites – he is throwing his weight behind a new campaign to beat the bullies.
TxtUp StandUp is a new online support initiative that gives teens advice directly or via text message on their personal bullying experiences.
Luke, who still lives at home with his parents in Werrington village, Peterborough, said: "One of the things that happened to me, which I can laugh about now with a more mature head on my shoulders, is that at 12 or 13, I used to get teased about my shiny shoes.
"It sounds pathetic, but it used to get to me. I would even go to school with dirty shoes.
"It only went on for a few months, but people remember that about you for years."
He added: "Bullying is a really traumatic experience, but it's particularly upsetting for those who feel they have no one to turn to.
"The TxtUp StandUp service means people don't have to deal with cyber-bullying on their own – there's now access to tried and tested advice from people who've been through the same thing.
"If people see a figure from TV that's got a bit of a status standing up for something they believe in and backing it, it makes a difference."
One in six young people in the East Midlands has been bullied via their mobile phone or the internet, yet almost four in five feel there is no appropriate support for victims of cyber-bullying.
The study, commissioned by T-Mobile and conducted by YoungPoll among 11-16 year olds, found that of those in the region who had received bullying text messages, emails or instant messages, 23 per cent said it made them feel threatened, and 15 per cent were embarrassed that it was happening to them.
They felt there was little support available and TxtUp StandUp aims to address that.
Teens can give advice via text message or directly at www.txtup.co.uk.
Visitors can then vote on their favourite tips, and the most useful are distributed monthly via a text message service which young people can sign up to receive by texting 'txtup' to 82120.
The initiative was developed by a group of young people identified by volunteering charity, TimeBank, and has been produced in conjunction with The Diana Award and T-Mobile.
As well as backing the new campaign, Luke has attracted praise for his portrayal in Skins.
And now, he has another iconic character in his sights.
He said: "I would love to be James Bond one day, that's every boy's dream."
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Thursday 29 July 2010
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