THUNDER BAY - Students at a local catholic school were taught three important phrases they can use to stand up to bullying: see it, hear it, stop it.
That was the message to grades 4, 5, and 6 students at Holy Cross Elementary School on Monday during a presentation by Lakehead University Student Union representatives Leah Ching and Farhan Yousaf, the 2017 recipient of the Respect Award.
Yousaf has been giving anti-bullying and diversity presentations to schools throughout the city and he said talking about acceptance and diversity with students at such a young age is important in helping them understand what bullying is and how to prevent it.
“Learning at this age is important,” he said. “If they learn from a younger age they will learn how to handle situations at an older age.”
“Kids are growing up at this age and they are coming across different people, so often you find kids going through this stage would come across something like that,” Yousaf continued. “We want to give the message that if you do come across something like that, this is how you deal with it and tell them why it is wrong.”
Students at Holy Cross spent last week learning important lessons while taking part in Cultural Awareness and Bully Prevention Week, including how to be an up-stander, and not a bystander.
“I learned that it’s important to stand up and be an up-stander instead of just saying you haven’t seen any bullying even though you have,” said 11-year-old, Gabby Prince. “An up-stander is someone who confronts someone who is bullying another person.”
Even at a young age, students know that bullying can have lasting and damaging consequences, which is why it’s so important for everyone to speak up.
“Bullying can cause depression and it is something that is not good for your health,” Gabby said.
“If someone was bullying me, I would use my words, because that would make me feel better and that might stop the person from bullying me,” added 11-year-old, Najah Jaber.
While both Najah and Gabby said they have not seen very much bullying at their school, they know it is still happening, and Yousaf said just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t taking place.
“When I was growing up, it wasn’t as bad,” he said. “Now, cyberbullying and social media has gotten a lot worse and I think it’s time we speak up.”
“That is what I am trying to do, making a difference in the community and I think learning happens in classrooms and that is what I want to focus on, I want to teach the kids about the importance of acceptance and diversity,” he continued.
Yousaf will be providing more presentations next semester at elementary and secondary schools throughout the city.
