Stop the Hate: Sarah Walker's message

Sarah Walker is an Olympic silver-medal winning BMX racer who grew up in Kawerau. She started racing in 1999 at the age of 10 and since then she has been to more than 20 countries for her sport. Winning a silver medal in London has been the highlight of her career and her new goal is to win gold at the next Olympics in Rio, 2016. Sarah speaks out against bullying.

Sarah's message to bullies:

Instead of spending time bullying others, use that time to do something you enjoy. If you're afraid what other people may think of you, refer to the message to victims. Everyone is different and sometimes we don't understand why someone thinks differently to the way we think, or acts differently to the way we act, or looks different to the way we look. But that's what makes us human. How would you feel if someone took their own life because of what you were saying to them?

Sarah's message to victims:

Dr Seuss quote: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind". The bullies usually just want a reaction so just smile back at them and carry on with your day. If you are afraid or are not happy with the bullying, talk to someone about it who can help you. Accept that not everyone in the world is going to like who you are.

What needs to be done to stop bullying?

We can stop bullying by not giving bullies the attention they are looking for. If they bully you to your face, smile back and move on. Or if they bully you with technology, just delete it if you can, or just ignore it and know that what they say shouldn't matter.