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A lot of people my age are bullied regularly, writes Natalie Beech. In 2004 the first anti-bullying week took place. Celebrities publicised the week by wearing blue armbands. This approach is good because it shows that Bullying is still a problem in British schools but that people we admire are against it. So young people will follow their example and fight against bullying.

Young people who are bullied find it hard to stand up for themselves, because they do not have the words or actions to fight what bullies say or do. They need information and support, and also encouragement. It takes a lot of confidence to stand up to someone who could easily hurt you. It also takes a lot of confidence to ignore bullies. We need dedicated and trained teachers to help stop bullying, to watch for the signs and help children work together to combat it.

Bullying is seen by a lot of people my age as a laugh, but it is often rooted in insecurity. Bullies feel the need to be popular, to fit in, and often go to extremes to do that. The problem is that most punishments don't eradicate the problem completely. We can't stop bullies abusing others by punishing them, or excluding them - that will probably make it worse. But private, confidential counselling could be really effective in helping them if it was widely available.

Luckily, in my school there is hardly any bullying. We have been helped to support one another and to work together in our classes to make sure that we all get on and feel safe with each other. This makes a huge difference, and I hope that soon other schools will follow our lead and try and solve the problem, not just punish the bullies.

Natalie Beech, age 12