Help for bullied kids in Gorey

Lola77

Hi there,
I'm new here so sorry if this is the wrong place to post this but I was wondering if anyone in the gorey area can offer a solution to my problem.

My daughted, aged ten, was very badly bullied by some girls in her last school, I eventually moved her to another school which she loves and is thriving in. However this new school, though great, is very small. There are only 7 kids in her class, most are typical GAA mad boys and she has failed to pal up with either of the two girls as they have very little in common. And I cant seem to find any classes in the area that would encourage friendships.
She has very little confidence in herself, she is quiet and withdraws when faced with large groups. She doesnt really enjoy sports though I could possibly push her to take tennis. She is far to intimidated to take a dance class and one of the former bullies is in the theatre group. The girl guides has a waiting list sooooo long and any other classes seem to be only around during the summer.
Another problem is that unlike a lot of girls her age it seems, she still enjoys playing with her dolls, still plays dress up the odd time, she reads loads of books and sends lots of time drawing. She shows no interest in boys, make up or any of the awful music out now.
I feel so sad for her as I know she is terribly lonely and would love to meet some kids like her. So does anyone know of any thing in the town that would suit her, or anyone in a similar predicament !?!?

Corvo

Hi Lola,

I'm sorry to hear of the predicament that your daughter finds herself in. School can be cruel at times and bullying seems to be very prevalent among girls especially. I hope she finds her new school to be more friendly and that hopefully, if one good thing comes from it all, maybe it makes her a stronger person in the long run.

As for your question, I can't comment on activities within Gorey as I'm not from there, but if you were to venture as far as Wexford town I'm sure that there would be various activities that could keep her busy.

There is a ballet school in John St, Wexford which goes on about 3-4 nights a week - http://www.wexfordschoolballet.com/

There is also a drama school here that maybe she might be interested in - http://discoveringdrama.com/ .... I know you said she is quite withdrawn, but who knows, there might be an actor in her Another option would be the famous Arts Centre workshops - http://www.wexfordartscentre.ie/events.html?id=167

Apologies I could'nt be of further help with regards your local area, but maybe some of these groups have off-shoot schools/workshops in your town.

Best of luck Lola77, and to the daughter.

Lola77

Thanks for the kind words and the links. its a good start so I'll get looking. Truth is I am a little stuck in the gorey area thanks to money, my exhusband doesnt pay any maintanence and I can only get part time work so cost/petrol would be a bit of an issue however, I'm sure I could stretch to wexford town and if she made some friends it would be worth it ! Thanks a mill !

FRIENDO

Hi Lola77,

The Gorey Branch of the Irish Red Cross.

Its in the Fire Station on Monday nights at 7pm - 8pm.
I think its an annual 5 Euro charge for kids membership and thats the only cost at the moment.

Training nights are free. Both my children are members and they love it.

Your very welcome.:)

http://www.redcross.ie/services-in-ireland/youth-services/

My kids are aged 8 and 10 and as I said they love it.

perrier

There is a ballet school in Gorey. Francis Ryan, they do classes in the hall at the Church of Ireland school at the top of the town. Really excellent, tots to teenagers. My daughter who was very shy loved it. Its very good and not intimidating at all.

Murtinho

She sounds very like my daughter, same age, only we're in wexford, try a soccer club maybe? Might sound far fetched but my girl was (still isnt) never sporty but she loves it.

RedXIV

Hi OP,

May I recommend the Tae Kwon Do club? They do great classes for kids, really build up the confidence to deal with bullies and there's a good number of kids doing it so it's almost impossible not to make friends. I know the instructors there and they are simply fantastic with kids.

It's not the typical girly girly option, I grant you, but I've only ever seen one person not stick with it after doing it for a month. Did wonders for my brother/sister who were shy also

Lola77

Thanks everyone for all your replies and kind words, certainly have a list to go through now ! Here's hoping she finds something she loves ! Thanks again

getz

Lola77 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for all your replies and kind words, certainly have a list to go through now ! Here's hoping she finds something she loves ! Thanks again

this may help,a number of years ago in manchester,the bullying in schools was bad,untill some bright spark came up with the idea of nominating bully monitors from among the children,it worked a treat,the school kids started looking out for each other,it well worth puting the idea forward at the next PTA meeting,i have got to say i love gorey and i always holiday in shillelagh,so if you ever see a old englishman smoking a cigar outside dunns with a english [churchill]bulldog please say hi

Skull

RedXIV wrote: »

Hi OP,

May I recommend the Tae Kwon Do club? They do great classes for kids, really build up the confidence to deal with bullies and there's a good number of kids doing it so it's almost impossible not to make friends. I know the instructors there and they are simply fantastic with kids.

It's not the typical girly girly option, I grant you, but I've only ever seen one person not stick with it after doing it for a month. Did wonders for my brother/sister who were shy also

Couldn't agree more with the above. I have a son in Focus Martial Arts for the last three years and the change in his self confidence is unbelievable. I've been involved in most of the clubs in town as I grew up here myself and you wont get a better club or activity for your kids. It's certainly made a difference to my lad anyway.