education and awareness about bullying

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever felt unsafe or helpless when someone is making fun or picking on you? Have you ever felt being teased or being hurt by someone? These events are considered Bullying. Bullying is a behavior in which it is usually repeated and causes harm to people around them. It may be on physical, verbal, social, or psychological aspects.

1 out of 5 students ages from 12-18 has been bullied during the last school year. Approximately 160,000 teens have skipped school in US and the most common reported type of bullying is verbal harassment (79%), followed by social harassment (50%), physical bullying (29%), and cyberbullying (25%). In the Philippines, 6 out of 10 Filipino students are being bullied regularly. Some of 65% of 7,233 15-year old Filipino Students “reported as being bullied few times a month. The study also found that some 26% of students felt that they are lonely at school (PISA,2018).

Thus, the Grade 11 students with the same ideologies decided to create this project ‘Bully Busters’. Bully Busters is an anti- bullying campaign wherein bullies as well as its victims undergoes transformation, particularly in their attitudes and emotional aspects through different approaches that is relevant to the situation.

Moreover, Bully Busters envision its own success as its creators and some of the sponsors takes its concept into reality. The project’s mission and vision are stated as follows:

MISSION

Bully Busters aims to lessen and end all types of bullying through raising awareness, educating people, conducting online seminars, and counselling and providing pro-mental health activities.

Bully Busters also aims to provide safe spaces for all that boosts everyone’s potential in different life aspects.

VISION

Bully Busters perceive all communities it visits with no traces of bullying around and full of upstanders that stand against all forms of bullying – a world that negativities where have no place and people are loving each other.

PURPOSE

One of the goals of a parent, teacher, and student is to have a safe place apart from their home. Together with Bully Busters, this advocacy’s purpose is to fight bullying that is still prevalent up to this day. Bullying is one of the alarming issues in every country. There are kinds of bullying, meaning that it could happen through physical or internet that could cause depression that eventually lead to death. Even in times of pandemic, bullying does not stop but this will help people who bullies and the victim of the bullying.

Bully Busters knows the feeling of being bullied and the effects of it to the victims, especially to their mental health. This project aims to protect, to save and to inform people, especially the people who are experiencing bullying and the bullies.

This project also intends to help in raising awareness in what are the possible consequences they might receive from bullying. This also intends to help people who suffer from bullying through their online consulate and virtual counseling. Bully Busters will educate people on what “Anti- Bullying Act of 2013" is all about.

DESCRIPTION

Bullying usually involves an older or larger child or children victimizing another child who is unable to protect themselves. Bullying is mostly viewed as a type of harassment committed by a child or children who are older, stronger, or otherwise more powerful socially, upon weaker adolescents. Often, the ability of the bully depends on the perception of the victim, with the bullied. To lessen these acts, the advocates came up with different ways on how they can help.

Since bullies are rampant today, the members had the idea to form a group that would help to at least reduce the number of bullies. Our group aims to provide education about bullying which includes its causes, effects, and consequences for perpetrators. Here, the group will provide advice on what they should do when they experience bullying or witness someone being bullied. The members will conduct virtual meetings with the date and time to be announced on our Facebook page and activities for both victims and perpetrators to improve their mental health.

Counselling is a must for every person struggling mentally and emotionally hence Bully Busters decided to conduct virtual counselling sessions. We will do these with the aid of mental health professionals. These sessions will be done in groups in order for other victims and perpetrators to have interactions and understand each other’s sides. Another option this project has for victims and perpetrators is to have one-on-one sessions with mental health professionals. They can come to Bully Busters if they have problems regarding bullying, Bully Busters will contact available professionals to help solve their issues.

Both perpetrators and victims are given a chance to be addressed in this project. If they have problems with regards to bullying, they can come to us. Bully Busters also have their own Facebook page which they can visit to look for the advocates contacts information. This project does not only aim for reduced acts of bullying but also improved personal development and mental health. This advocacy can also be a way for greater and firmer relationships between people that’s why the members have this burning desire to make this project happen. People should not hesitate to come to Bully Busters. The members will serve as the eyes to those who are blind to the truth and the voice to those who don’t have the strength to speak.

SUPPORT

This project also includes conducting seminars if the time would let it, hence the estimated budget of ₱2,000 to ₱3,000. For the seminars; paraphernalia, foods, and drinks are included. There’s also the expenses for some of the equipment needed for the recreational activities. Aside from the seminar, the budget also includes printing materials for the posters and flyers that would be pasted in communities’ bulletin boards and the flyers to be given to people. To be able to accumulate this amount of money, the members are going to contribute and are also planning to look for sponsors that promote the same advocacy. Soliciting and accepting donations from those who are willing is also feasible.

SURVEY RESULTS: