David lay flat on his back in the playground. As a mixed-race child, he was an oddity in 1970s GatesheadA town on the River Tyne in north-east England. It is linked to Newcastle by seven bridges., and a frequent victim of bullying. But today an older boy called Paul, the school's most talented footballer, came over to him and helped him to his feet. Knowing that they were no match for the newcomer, the bullies"Bully" was originally a term of endearment applied to both males and females. It later came to mean a companion or brother - but also a thug. backed off.

David, whose surname was Olusoga, told this story recently on Desert Island Discs. While he grew up to be a highly respected historian, the boy who rescued him became one of England's greatest footballers - Paul GascoigneAffectionately known as "Gazza", he played 57 times for England..

There are initiatives to encourage behaviour like Gascoigne's. This week is Anti-Bullying Week, with the theme "One Kind Word". "We want to spread the message that one kind word can lead to another and together we can help stop bullying," explains Andy Day, who is a patron of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA).

Last Saturday was World Kindness Day, created "to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together." Lady Gaga made a special video to support it, focusing on young people with mental health problems. Today is the UN's International Day for Tolerance, designed to foster "mutual understanding among cultures and peoples".

Bullying remains a problem, as a questionnaire by the ABA shows. Of almost 15,000 schoolchildren, 21% said they were bullied a lot.

The survey found that 8.3% of children were frequently teased and 6.3% were picked on for being "a bit different". And 4.6% said they were regularly hit, kicked or pushed.

The questionnaire also indicated that rates of bullyingChildren with disabilities are three times more likely to experience unkindness. have increased for children with special educational needs or disabilities, and those who receive free school meals. Cyber bullying has become more common now that more young people have mobile phones and computers than they used to.

On the positive side, another questionnaire by the charity KidscapeA London-based charity created to protect children. showed that 74% of pupils feel that their schoolfellows are kind to them. "Our survey showed that kindness matters to children and that on the whole they have a positive experience of school life," says Kidscape's chief executive, Lauren Seager-Smith.

Some psychologists believe that kindness is something we can cultivate in ourselves. One study, conducted by Professor Helen Weng of the Centre for Healthy MindsA research centre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US., focused on people's tendency to look away"Empathic burnout" and "compassion fatigue" are two terms for being unable to face more of other people's suffering. from pictures of others in distress. It explored whether, instead of feeling unable to deal with these, we could learn to be more compassionate.

Weng asked people to take part in compassion meditation training, which involved repeating the mantraA phrase that is often repeated, like a motto. The word comes from a Sanskrit term referring to a sacred utterance. "May you have happiness. May you be free from suffering. May you experience joy and ease."  Using technology that monitors eye movements, she found that after two weeks they could look at the pictures for longer.

Some say, yes. The more kindness we show to others, the more we recognise its beneficial effects, creating a virtuous circle. We also feel its effects on ourselves: research has found that it can change the brain by increasing levels of dopamine and serotonin, which give a sense of wellbeing.

Others argue that people are either kind or they are not. Someone who instinctively feels compassion for others does not need any extra encouragement. Equally, a bully will always be a bully, and it would be a waste of time to try to persuade them to make the world a better place.