Mentorship programme at Sacred Heart School to raise awareness about bullying.
SABA--Saba’s Sacred Heart School hosted an anti-bullying week from Monday through Friday, March 15-19, for all classes, facilitated by the mentorship programme participants.
Bullying is on the rise now among today’s youth. In some instances, it can result in dire consequences, which makes it a concerning matter for parents and educational institutions, and in Saba this is no different.
During past week, the mentorship coordinators assigned a mentor and his/her mentee to each class to raise awareness about bullying, educate children on why it is important to be kind to one another and talk about the effects of bullying. The sessions were also to motivate teachers, who often have to deal with bullying at school.
“The mentorship programme has been a positive learning experience for me, not only as a professional, but also as a mother. It has definitely helped me to understand teenagers a little better and how to work with them. One of our mentor assignments was to give a short presentation on anti-bullying to Grade 1 at Sacred Heart School,” said mentor Rosa Johnson.
“Together with another mentor/mentee, the four of us teamed up and brainstormed a fun way to teach kids that bullying is not right. We showed them a quick video on Captain McFinn anti-bullying, and we also asked them to sign and stamp their names on a pledge against bullying. Grade 1 was a great class to share this information with, as most kids recognised bullying and that it was not the right way to treat fellow classmates or friends,” said Johnson.
“Bullying is a serious and ongoing concern, especially at the primary school level,” said mentorship programme coordinator Rayann Ramdin of the Community Development Department. “On Monday, when we went to one class and asked who was experiencing bullying, almost the entire class raised their hand. It is definitely alarming, so we’ve decided to pay some attention and lend our resources.”
The children are responding well to the anti-bullying project. “Children tend to respond positively to a new approach, to new faces and a new activity,” said Ramdin.
The mentorship programme, a joint initiative of the Community Development Department of the public entity Saba and Saba Comprehensive School (SCS), started in September 2020. Eleven mentors received training one month before. Each mentor has one mentee age 12-16. The programme’s first cycle will be closed off at the end of March.
“I am thankful and grateful for the past six months of this mentorship programme, not only for the relationship I’ve been able to build with my mentee, but also I’ve learned more about myself in the process,” said Johnson.
The Christmas community project in December 2020 was another successful project of the mentorship programme where each mentor and mentee received a different assignment, such as baking cookies for police officers, volunteering at the day-care, organising activities at the primary school, presenting tokens of appreciation to firefighters and giving “inspirational” candy canes to random people in the street.
“We are committed to making a positive impact in the community, contributing in our own small way, and since the school is an important part of the community, we decided to close off our programme with the anti-bullying project, which we hope will have a positive impact on the children, their teachers and parents,” said Ramdin.
