Liam Hackett (activist)
| Liam Hackett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 19, 1991 Liverpool, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Sussex |
| Occupation | Founder and CEO of Ditch the Label and Managing Director Hackett & Tiger, a digital marketing agency. |
| Website | liamhackett.co.uk |
Liam Hackett (born 19 January 1991 in Liverpool) is an English activist best known as the founder and CEO of equality and anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label. He is also the founder and managing director of Hackett & Tiger, a digital marketing agency.[1]
Early life
Hackett grew up in Liverpool, experiencing both physical and emotional bullying at school. In the last few years at his secondary school, he was physically assaulted outside of school, causing him to be hospitalised.[1] Hackett has said in some interviews that the bullying he experienced was homophobic.
Hackett first came out as bisexual and, in his college years, he came out as gay. After college Hackett moved to Brighton to study business and management at the University of Sussex.[2][3][4] He graduated in 2012 and has since been made notable alumni.
Founding of Ditch the Label
Infancy
After years of being told to 'ignore' those that were bullying him and failing to find adequate support elsewhere, Hackett took to the internet to post about his experiences of being bullied. He talked openly about the extreme verbal and physical bullying he had experienced, including his hospitalisation after a homophobic attack by a group of people from school. Overnight, hundreds of UK-based people came together and formed an online community under his leadership - united by their experiences and seeking the help and support that was not available elsewhere.
The online community rapidly expanded - soon thousands of people were seeking help, advice and comfort in the forum - the movement became so large, that in 2006 Hackett launched a specific MySpace profile to host the conversations that were taking place online and named it ‘Ditch the Label’.
Despite his young age, Hackett recognised the potential of Ditch the Label - the positive impact it could have upon young people and society at large. With drive and determination to help those who were in need, he approached the local Chamber of Commerce in 2007. Aged 16, he became the first person below the age of 18 to receive a grant in his local area to develop a Ditch the Label website - an online hub dedicated to helping and supporting those that had been impacted by bullying - prior to its inception, this had not existed elsewhere on the web.
Official Registration
Ditch the Label continued to grow in momentum behind the scenes as Hackett simultaneously studied for his degree at the University of Sussex. In 2012, he graduated with a degree in business and management and immediately registered Ditch the Label as a legal entity and began to formally develop the organisation. As a new graduate without financial aid or backing, he sold his personal possessions to fund the organisation, such was his belief and commitment to spreading awareness, campaigning for equality and helping those in need. He would continue to work without a wage, funding Ditch the Label out of his own pocket for the next three to four years.
Income requirements had always disqualified Ditch the Label from becoming a recognised charity. Gaining charity status was required in order to attract funding. After 2 years of trying, in March 2014, Ditch the Label was officially recognised and registered as a charity in the UK.
Expansion to USA and Mexico (2016)
After a hugely successful year in 2015, Ditch the Label announced plans to expand across the USA and Mexico, aiming to support a record volume of 500,000 young people through bullying.
Founding of Hackett & Tiger
In 2012, Hackett founded digital marketing agency Hackett and Tiger.
Press and media
Hackett regularly speaks throughout the press on a range of issues surrounding bullying, cyber bullying, digital technology and young people. In one of his first interviews, Liam spoke on The Surgery with Alex for BBC Radio 1 about his own personal experiences of bullying[5] - as an ambassador for equality, Hackett understands the importance of sharing his own personal story and journey - providing a role model and tangible success story for young people experiencing prejudice to look up to.
He has also commented on how bullying can affect children from wealthy families for articles in The Daily Telegraph and The Independent.[6][7]
On July 2014, Hackett gave an exclusive insight into his experiences with homophobic bullying and his coming out story to Gay Star News [8]
Hackett spoke on Sky News about the sudden rise in cases of cyber bullying,[9] he later debated the issues on Channel 5 News, where he frequently discusses bullying and the lives of young people.[10][10][11] Following a major new Ditch the Label, Hackett gave advice to young people via Sky News on how to overcome cyber bullying.[12] He also spoke about the report on Good Morning Britain and urged key stakeholders to take action.[13]
Hackett has contributed articles about the current climate of bullying within the UK's education system for SecEd Magazine and the British Journal of School Nursing.[14][15] In October 2013, Hackett was interviewed on Chinese state television broadcaster CCTV discussing issues surrounding cyberbullying.[16]
Accolades
- Received a grant from St Helens Chamber of Commerce before he was 18, enabling him to launch the Ditch the Label website, this later evolved into the charity. (2007)
- Shortlisted "Entrepreneur of the Year" and "Organisation of the Year" - National Diversity Awards. (2013)
- Fellow of Royal Society of Arts - FRSA. (2014)
- Winner of 'Best European Marketing Campaign 2014' in European Diversity Awards. (2014)
- Winner of "Young Business Person of the Year" in the Sussex Business Awards for his work with Ditch the Label. (2014)
- Positioned in the Top 5% Quartile of the Most Influential People on Social Media - Klout. (2015)
- Winner of 'European Campaigner of the Year' - Highly Commended in European Diversity Awards. (2015)
- Notable Alumni - University of Sussex
- He has worked closely with, and written for the UN, as well as other governmental agencies.
- Sits on the advisory board of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, of which Ditch the Label is a core member.
- Sits on the task force of the 5Rights initiative headed by The Children’s commissioner for England.
References
- 1 2 Bhandari, Bibek (6 August 2012). "Liam Hackett: It Does Get Better". Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ↑ "Liam Hackett - Founder and CEO Profile". Ditch the Label. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ↑ "Introducing: Ditch The Label". attitude.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ↑ "R u coming out features: Liam Hackett". Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ↑ "Ditch the Label Radio 1 Interview - Liam Hackett". YouTube. 2013-02-04. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ Henry, Julie (3 February 2013). "Children bullied because of their wealthy backgrounds, study finds". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ Garner, Richard (2013-02-03). "Children from wealthy homes more likely to be bullied at school, research claims - Home News - UK". London: The Independent. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ "Bullies nearly gay-bashed me to death, now I'm fighting back". GayStarNews. 2014-07-30. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ "Ditch the Label - Sky News Cyberbullying Feature - October 2013 - Liam Hackett". YouTube. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- 1 2 "Channel 5 Live News - 30th October 2013". YouTube. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ "Bullied young people fear they won't be taken seriously, says campaigner". YouTube. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ "Sexting: What Should You Do If Your Photos Are Shared Online?". YouTube. 2014-10-15. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ "1 in 4 Young People Have Had a Naked Selfie Shared". YouTube. 2014-10-16. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ Hackett, Liam (2013-04-25). "Seven in 10 Under 18s Still Experience Bullying". SecEd Magazine. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ↑ Hackett, Liam (2013). "Seven in 10 Under 18s still Experience Bullying". British Journal of School Nursing. British Journal of School Nursing. 8 (3): 147–148.
- ↑ "[视频]英国：三分之二英青少年曾遭网络欺凌 ([Video] UK: two-thirds of British teenagers experienced cyberbullying)" (in Chinese). CCTV. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2014.