I AM THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA YOUTH INITIATIVE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE AND FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION is an organisation that have satisfied all the requirements to conduct activities in schools nation-wide on Anti-Bullying.
The project targets curbing and eradicating bullying from the grass root level. Bullying has been linked to increase in school dropout, Cyber bullying, Cultism, Suicide amongst others. Bullying in schools is a worldwide problem that is now on the increase with negative consequences on the general school climate and on the rights of students to learn in a safe environment without fear. Bullying can also have negative lifelong consequences – both for students who bully and their victims. Students affected by bullying will be at higher risk of developing depression, anxiety, loneliness, mistrust of others, low self-esteem, poor social adjustment, poor academic achievement and poor health as compared to others. Students who bully do not fare much better either. Those who were bullied have been known to join cults in schools for protection and later become bullies who commit heinous crimes against society.
SIGNIFICANCE OF “KICK OUT BULLYING IN OUR SCHOOLS
I am the future of Nigeria youth Initiative is drawing attention to the problem of bullying in public schools as a life and death issue with its devastating impact. There is urgent need to create anti-bullying awareness training/workshops in all schools and also provide and implement effective anti-bullying school laws and policies to tackle bullying, as they seem non-existent in all schools. The Education ministry needs to enforce all schools to implement Anti-bullying policies that will safe guard students. Anti-bullying school policies also need to be disseminated and implemented effectively by schools. In Nigeria, no successful measures have been taken yet to eradicate bullying, whether legislative, or through policy, awareness or any other means by which to stop the terror that is bullying.
Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships, schools, offices through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm to those being bullied. Bullying happens regularly in our schools and homes where individuals or a group misuse their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening. Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time and can contribute to immediate, medium and long-term negative social situations in our school environment and seriously affect those involved (bully and the bullied).
In addition, even though, our agency has identified bullying as a national problem, and has conducted different activities on anti-bullying , the reasonable impact expected from this may not be felt until the Federal, State and LGAs participate fully in the programme. There is the need to ensure that everyone particularly, in our schools and homes understand the meaning of bullying and the repercussions.
Our Prayer :
❖ For the
FME, National Secondary Board, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and
National University Commission (NUC) to partner with the initiating
Organization to develop a national document that can be domesticated in States
and LGAs,
❖ To have a department in each of the above mentioned institutions where the initiatives of this Organization can be represented for continuous campaign on anti-bullying in both public and private basic education institutions, senior secondary and tertiary institutions as well as to the general public across the country through the National Human Right Commission,
❖ Each institution to partner with their sponsoring IDPs/local donors and also include the activity in the budget to ease counterpart funding where necessary.
The purpose of instituting anti-bullying desks in these agencies shall be to develop and maintain a safe welcoming and violence-free learning environment for every pupil, students and the general populace at home and environment Specifically, the programme is expected to achieve the following objectives:
➢ develop in our children cordial behavior endowed with respect for one another;
➢ build character that accept all human the way they are, fat, slim, fair, dark, short, tall, literate, illiterate etc
➢ curb and eradicate bullying in schools;
➢ cut child suicide missions;
➢ reduce different kinds of cultism in schools;
➢ provide a better and safe learning environments for students/pupils;
➢ decrease the level of school drop-out due to bullying;
➢ improve teacher-pupils/student relationship;
➢ curtail levels of depression that are obvious among children;
➢ develop better human relationship in our society; and
➢ develop a country with better behaved citizenry;
➢ inculcate reason for high value for life; and
➢ establish high positive attitudinal change that are required to enhance good human relation and potentials;
➢ comfortably compete with other countries in human right and respect application.
The programme when instituted is expected to continually implement the following activities:
❖ establish the celebration of national anti-bullying awareness day annually;
❖ developing anti-bullying charts in schools across the country;
❖ training and certifying school academic and none academic teachers, students and pupils on the anti-bullying awareness, and
❖ distribute our anti-bullying books, movies and resources in schools for continuous campaign on anti-bullying;
❖ establish in other agencies anti-bullying charts to develop in them good conducts in office environment;
❖ conduct regular awareness campaign on anti-bullying in State capitals and urban/rural cities;
❖ conduct advocacy visits at all levels to develop consciences with good human relation and respect for all.
❖ develop materials for distribution in schools and streets for good human conduct in and outside the country.
❖ develop and provide sanction to defaulting citizens.
There is need to kindly to note that:
❖ anti-bullying programme is being celebrated yearly in most countries in the world;
❖ most countries have established anti-bullying agency;
❖ anti-buying programme have helped most countries to improve human respect and relationship with one another,
❖ I AM THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA YOUTH INITIATIVE has already developed commendable strategies intended to be used in implementing the anti-bullying programme;
❖ some of the necessary material that will direct the kick-off of the programme have already been developed;
❖ I AM THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA YOUTH INITIATIVE is willing to share these strategies with the Nigerian government to make the country safer.
❖ I AM THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA YOUTH INITIATIVE is also willing to partner with government agencies and organizations at all level in the implementation of anti-bullying programme in the country.
