FAQs
Stymie allows Your School to receive anonymous email notifications from bystanders. These Stymie Notifications are about students who may be experiencing harm. In fact, students are using Stymie to report all manner of concerns. Bystanders can make notifications to Your School about people who they believe are being bullied. This notification can be about physical, cyber, relational, or emotional bullying. Information received includes; where the alleged bullying happens, when it happens, how many people are involved and how often it happens. For more detail, click on this link to go to the notification page. Bystanders may also upload files, which contain evidence such as text messages, screenshots of FB pages or instant messages. Photographs may not be uploaded. Your School is able to disseminate these Stymie Notifications (emails) to your choice of appropriate staff, in order for them to manage the situation, according to The School’s policies and procedures. Stymie Notifications may be sent to Your School using a mobile ’phone, iPad, tablet or computer.
Bystanders are the largest group in the cycle of bullying. They are either witness to, encourage, take an active part in, or instigate bullying behaviours. Most bystanders passively accept bullying because: they are scared, they don’t feel as though it is their business, they don’t like the person being bullied, they feel peer-pressured to participate or they think that notifying someone may make things worse. Bystanders behave the ways in which they do because they come from a place of fear and lack of experience and skill. Bystanders often feel guilty and powerless.
Unfortunately, bullying is endemic in this country. The Australian Government has stated that, “bullying is a significant national problem.” Schools are in a disadvantaged situation where they can’t offer the same level of anonymity that Stymie can. Operating nationally and independent of the education system, means that the large amount of encrypted traffic travelling the Stymie Highway, ensures complete anonymity for students making notifications; there is a sense of safety in ‘the crowd’. There exists a unique feeling of safety that the students can access when they feel comfortable to do so. Stymie Notifications provide evidence from bystanders as a supportive backup for schools that need to investigate incidents of bullying.
One in four Australian school students are bullied. And they are bullied every day. Because for the first time in Australia, students have the opportunity to report to an independent body with absolute confidentiality. Because we believe it is not the students’ responsibility to deal with these incidents, the onus is on teachers, principals and parents to decide and execute appropriate courses of action. Because Stymie Notifications provide supporting documentation to assist the person being bullied, the parents and the teachers to stymie the bullying cycle. Because collective supportive action can make schools safer places. Stymie fosters pro-social values physical and emotional safety and enhances interpersonal skills and self awareness.
Everybody who is affiliated with Stymie has a blue card, inclusive of our web designers, administrators and bookkeepers! All of the information sent via the notification interface is encrypted. As a further security measure, Stymie does not store, keep, copy or backup the information in Stymie Notifications. We do not ask for the names of the students making Stymie Notifications or place pressure on anyone to name the alleged bully.
Yes. There is a function that enables Your School to place notifications on hold for weekends or holiday periods.
12 months from the date Stymie receives payment. Upon agreeing to our Terms of Use, we will send you an invoice totalling $1800 plus GST(for schools under 1200 students) or $2200 plus GST (for schools over 1200 students).
So that we can maintain the technology that enables the secure delivery of information in Stymie Notifications.
Please contact us and we will add Your School straight away.
About 5 minutes!
Yes. It is very important that appropriate languaging is used to positively promote the use of Stymie. Correct languaging has the potential to determine whether or not students will make notifications to Your School. It is imperative that words such as ‘dobbing’, ‘spying’, ‘telling on’ or ‘ratting’, are avoided. Students need to understand and trust, that talking with someone isn’t the same as dobbing.
Stymie was designed with busy teachers in mind. It is not onerous or time consuming in its usability or set up.