The Sticks and Stones Theatre Company was established in 1993 to heighten awareness of the serious problem of Bullying in schools. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation London provided vital support and substantial financial aid at this critical time of development. This highly successful program ran for six years, during which time 500 schools (primary and secondary), youth groups and out-reach programmes were visited and over 150,000 young people and numerous teachers and parents participated in the programme. The programme itself was guided by a highly distinguished committee;

Dr. Mona O'Moore (Chairperson)
Head of Child and Educational Psychology in the Department of Teacher Education, Trinity College Dublin. Principle author of the Information Handbook. Dr. O'Moore is Coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Resource and Research Unit at T.C.D.

Ms. Paula Greevy-Lee M.A.
Actor and founder/director of the Sticks and Stones Theatre Company.

Mr. Simon Richey.
Director Education, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Ms. Vivette O'Donnell M.A.
Teacher, Founder Director of Campaign Against Bullying "C.A.B." Author of "Bullying - a Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers".

Dr. Brendan Byrne
Teacher. Author of "Coping with Bullying in Schools" and "Bullying - A Community Approach".

Mr. Maurice Kearney
Principal and member of the Central Executive Committee of the Irish National Teachers Organisation.

The original Sticks and Stones Anti-Bullying Programme consisted of:

The Facilitation Talk
The facilitation talk provided for teachers in advance of the company visit aimed to focus on the problem and maximise the impact of the production itself on staff and students.

The Presentation of the Play
There was a Primary and a Post-Primary Production; each tailored to be age appropriate, performed by a team of five professional actors. The company was registered with Irish Actor's Equity

The Discussion Sessions
The students returned to their individual classes, and two actors facilitated a discussion around issues of bullying, using the preceding play as a catalyst to probe and provoke debate (class facilitations were an integral part of the rehearsal process).

The Information Handbook
The Handbook assisted staff in conducting follow up work after the company visit, providing background information, a resource guide, ideas for use in the classroom and practical suggestions, such as guidelines for establishing an Anti-Bullying Charter for individual schools.

Parent Talks
Parents were invited to attend the performance and would remain in the hall for a talk with the company facilitator. These talks helped to reinforce the company work and provide parents with information and support.

Follow-up Support
The Sticks and Stones Theatre Company has long been affiliated to the Anti-Bullying Resource and Research Unit at Trinity College Dublin, and the centre provides advice and support for concerned and worried parents and teachers.

Funding
As the programme gained momentum, invaluable support also came from Nissan Ireland, who provided fully insured transport for three years. AIB also provided financial aid for three years, and the Irish National Teachers Organisation provided assistance in producing the Information Handbook. However touring with a project of this scale is costly, and ultimately requires long-term financial sponsorship if costs to schools are to be maintained at an affordable level. Having been advised by the Arts Council that this was an Education matter, the company approached the Department of Education and Science. The funding we secured was on a year to year basis, but was completely inadequate, and finally  we were forced to make the decision to suspend this most successful programme.