End The Silence Around Bullying Via The Open Arms & Dolly’s Dream

The words of a teen cyberbullying victim are delivered by her parents in a powerful new campaign to help break the silence around bullying.

One in four Australian school kids will be bullied this year. One in seven won’t tell anyone. That’s over 340,000 kids staying silent about being bullied. Creative agency, The Open Arms, and anti-bullying charity, Dolly’s Dream, have teamed up to rally community support to help break the silence around bullying in the lead up to Do It For Dolly Day on Friday May 12.

Dolly’s Dream was founded by Kate and Tick Everett in memory of their daughter, Dolly Everett, who tragically took her own life at 14, following relentless and sustained bullying and cyber bullying. In the five years since launch, the charity has established a 24-hour support line staffed by counsellors, implemented anti-bullying workshops in schools across the country, and provided online resources to tens of thousands of families – with a particular focus on rural and regional communities.

Do It For Dolly Day is an opportunity for everyone to support this vital work via donations and fundraising events, while shining a spotlight on the pervasive issue of bullying. When approached to help with the 2023 campaign, The Open Arms jumped at the chance to help draw attention to the devastating impact of bullying while rallying the community to help support kids living through it.

The Open Arms Co-founder and strategic director, Amy Hollier, said: “Dolly’s Dream has supporters in their 80s who still carry the emotional scars from being bullied in their youth. This should never be something kids bear alone. It was important to us to motivate the broader community to work together to break the silence around bullying with this campaign.”

The Open Arms partnered with Commoner Films to bring the campaign to life in a powerful 60 second film directed by Maddelin McKenna, featuring a young girl dealing with the enormity of being bullied.

Kate and Tick Everett appear in the film to offer support, delivering the line: “Speak, even if your voice shakes.” These were words their daughter Dolly included in an artwork she created shortly before she died. Of the campaign, Kate Everett said: “It felt right for us to bring Dolly’s words to life for this year’s campaign. So many young people are affected by bullying, and the film captures the fear so many kids face, yet shows that Dolly’s Dream can be a voice of hope.”

The Open Arms co-founder and creative director, Jess Lilley, said: “When my child was bullied I was shocked by how long it took them to tell me. With this campaign we felt a responsibility to every kid in this situation. We also felt a responsibility to Dolly’s legacy and the tireless work Kate and Tick do to help other families. When they deliver Dolly’s words, it represents the powerful message that no kid should go through this alone.” The film is running nationally in cinema and across commercial TV and catch up, supported by outdoor, press, radio, digital and social.

Credits

Dolly’s Dream Head of Content and Brand: Sharon Hill

Head of Engagement: Sally Sweeney

Communications Manager: Michael Watkins

PR & Media Manager: Simone Redman-Jones

Graphic Design: Pablo Francis

The Open Arms Strategy Director: Amy Hollier

Creative Director/ Writer: Jess Lilley

Business Director: Lauren Chibert

Art Director: Jim Walsh

Graphic Design: Madeleine Pattison, Thalia Economo

Commoner Films Senior Producer: Raylene O’Hare

Director: Maddelin McKenna

DOP: Joey Knox

Editor: Mark Welker

Colourist: Ted Deacey

Stills Photography: Jane Zhang

Casting: Highway Casting

Original Music Composition: Tristan Dewey

Sound Design: Bang Bang Studios

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