QF schools educate students about how to combat bullying

In Anti-Bullying Week, Qatar Foundation schools have staged a series of activities involving both teachers and students to help raise awareness of the most effective ways to combat different forms of bullying.

The activities are designed to teach students the right ways to respond to a bully, and to highlight how silently observing bullying contributes to its escalation – and the victimization of its target.

At Awsaj Academy, a school under Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre-University Education that specializes in addressing the needs of students with learning difficulties, teaching social skills is an integral part of the learning experience. Each year, for Anti-Bullying Week, the school holds activities designed to teach students how they should respond to intimidating behavior, and to emphasize the importance of empathy and friendliness between students.

“The issue of school bullying is one that we need to address and stand against through conscious and effective approaches, particularly because it significantly affects the mental health of children and young people,” said Sally Chalouhy, Counselor at Awsaj Academy.

“This year, cyberbullying was at the center of our activities during Anti-Bullying Week, due to the exceptional circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to remote learning. These included sending out a detailed presentation about online safety to our teachers in order for them to discuss it with students.

“Our Bully Blockers – a group of students from different grades formed five years ago – have shown proactivity and enthusiasm through shooting videos that raise awareness of bullying and how students can defend themselves and others when they are faced with such situations, as well as how they can fight passivity and speak up when they witness an act of bullying. We also asked the students, together with their parents, to design their own T-shirt with a statement that reflects an anti-bullying slogan, and wear it to school on a certain day.”

At QF school Qatar Academy Sidra, educating students about bullying and safeguarding is part of a framework of social and emotional learning that, for the past three years, has been taught year-round. Each month is dedicated to a certain theme, with November dedicated to learning how to respond to bullying and personal safeguarding, while December will focus on emotional management and February will concentrate on mindfulness.

“During November, students from primary to secondary stage have learned about many ways to fight bullying, such as how to identify the characteristics of safe and unsafe environments, how to respond to pressure – whether through cyberbullying or peer pressure – how to identify their support system and people they can turn to at home, at school, or in their community for help and advice, the reasons why we need to stand against bullying, and general information on digital citizenship and how to be responsible on the digital sphere,” said Aristea Mastoraki, Student Counselor at Qatar Academy Sidra.

“All of these themes were addressed through activities performed by students, together with their homeroom teachers. They created scenarios simulating real-life situations and ways to respond to bullying, and presented them in the school assembly. They also had class discussions and designed posters illustrating the right ways to handle the pressure of such behaviors.”

Reem Al Alem, a Grade 8 student at Qatar Academy Sidra, said: “The sessions helped us understand how to recognize what is bullying and how to protect ourselves against it.

“It also helped us recognize potential dangers in an uncomfortable situation. and how to be assertive against bullying. We also learned that safety is not just physical, it is social, emotional, cyber-related, and mental.”

Meanwhile, at Qatar Academy Al Khor – also part of QF’s Pre-University Education – Anti-Bullying Week has seen students being encouraged, through a virtual activity, to become principled learners and demonstrate kindness towards others.

Students were given the opportunity to share their thoughts on interacting with others, to help develop their social and communication skills, and made a pledge to speak out when they or someone they know is being bullied. Senior school teachers also played videos about bullying and how it should be tackled during lessons.