Anti-Bullying Campaign – Community Upliftment

The Northern Areas (NA) is a previously marginalised community in Port Elizabeth. Some of the social challenges in the area include, high levels of unemployment, substances abuse, high school drop-out, teenage pregnancies and gangsterism. Often, communities such as the NA are often overlooked in social upliftment programs due to the previously mentioned circumstances. It is imperative that more proactive initiatives are introduced to these communities to reduce these social challenges. Bullying, for long has been considered a major problem among learners in these communities. To avoid victimization, many learners turn towards drugs and gangsterism, as it is so easily accessible.

The aim of this initiative is to empower learners at primary schools in the NA withy the skills and knowledge on how to handle bullying. This workshop will be conducted all grade 7 learners, between the ages of 13-14, at 6 selected primary schools in the Northern Areas. The initiative is to reduce bullying and peer pressure at primary schools, whilst preparing learners for the challenges of high school. Due to the schools being "public" schools, it often has limited facilities beyond the classroom. In order to make this workshop to have more of an impact, the workshop will be conducted outside the schooling environment.

There are approximately 70-80 grade 7 learners at each of the schools in the Northern Areas. the funds will go towards sponsoring each of the learners that attend the program. On completion of the program each learner will receive the following:

Interactive bullying workbook
Bully-Smash' badge (that they would wear to school)
Attendance certificate
1day excursion to the beach for some sandboarding and fun activities inclusive of a lunch pack for each learner.
Transport to and from the venue (As many children depend on public transportation)

Sponsoring 1 child at a cost of 40 USD seems like a large sum of money. However, the impact this program will have on the learners of the Northern Areas is priceless. Besides gaining knowledge about bullying, these learners will have an opportunity to experience being part of a much needed social upliftment program. Many of these kids have never been outside the community, and what they see, is what they know. Something like going to the beach may seem irrelevant, but for the kid who lives in a coastal city to have never seen the beach before...this speaks volumes. Taking these learners away from their usual place of living and learning may reap the greatest results. By sponsoring a learner, you will be assisting in changing the lives of a community.

https://kuriostrend.co.za/fundraising-and-donations/