Interview: the Anti-Bulling Club

INTERVIEW: THE ANTI-BULLYING CLUB - Talia C. & Melisa O.

For this issue we had the opportunity to interview a member of the ‘Anti-Bullying’ club whose principles follow our understanding of the subject we are treating: bullying and its effects. By spreading awareness of this topic, the club not only reminds us that no form of bullying should be accepted within schools, but also in our everyday lives.

Jihane B., a Terminale student and member of the ‘anti-bullying club’, took the time to answer our questions and described the ‘Anti-Bullying’ club’s creation and management.

What does this club consist of? Was there a meaning behind the creation of this club?

Our club is the ‘Anti-Bullying’ Club, and our aim is to prevent bullying in school by raising awareness of the topic. We mainly target younger ‘collège’ students who may not realize especially since this is an age when bullying is most frequent. Our goal is to intervene in classes and deliver insightful presentations on bullying so that collège students have a clear idea of what bullying is and how to act if they ever witness or are victims of bullying.

How many people are in the club? What made people join it?

For now, there are 3 members of the club: Jihane B., Lucile S., and Tess D.. We are 3 OIB Terminale students who have either directly or indirectly been affected by bullying. We believe that older students have

the impacts of their actions, a responsibility to ensure there is a healthy, safe environment in school.

(graphic from freepix.com)

What is the link between the members of the club?

I think that what links us is the fact that we all see bullying as a central issue that is unfortunately present in all schools. In order to tackle this issue, we feel that as the Senior students of the school, we have a responsibility to prevent this issue from happening as much as possible.

Why did you create/join this club?

We actually took over this club, as it was created last year by an ex-Terminale student named Joseph.

As Terminale students, we realize now that bullying did occur when we were younger but in a very subtle form, meaning we did not recognize it for what it was. We have therefore witnessed or felt the devastating impacts of bullying: low self-esteem, social isolation, unhealthy coping mechanisms, increased feelings of loneliness and sadness etc. To spare younger children from going through the same thing, we would like to spread more awareness about the issue. This club was created in 2019, last year.

What do you think the club and people in general could do to spread awareness on bullying?

There are many things we could do in order to spread awareness of bullying. For instance, making informative videos and antibullying posters to be printed in the school could certainly help. Moreover, we believe coming into classes and taking the time to explain bullying in both an informative and engaging way would also help. And lastly, this is something everyone can do, but we should create an open discussion around bullying so that students who witness and/or are victims of bullying feel safe to speak about it to adults. Is there anything the club is doing in particular to solve this issue? As mentioned before, we plan on intervening in younger classes so as to engage a taboo-free, informative conversation with the students. In what ways do you think this club is unique?

This club is unique because it is the only club in the school whose main goal is to tackle bullying. We also are the only club, I believe, to intervene in younger classes. What would you say to young kids who may experience or witness bullying? First of all, I would tell them that they are far from being alone. According to the UN, 1 out of 3 teens is a victim of bullying today. Being a victim of bullying is never your fault, there is nothing ‘wrong’ about you that could have caused or justified what you went through. I would also urge them to speak to someone they trust about the issue; I know it seems cliché, but speaking about it to a trusted adult is one of the first steps in solving the issue; whether that be a parent, teacher, sibling, or even through a bullying

hotline (the 3020 in France). Do you think other students from school could join/take over this club? How did you enter this project?

As I said previously, we did not actually create this club, but we took over it. Tess and Lucile had had this project in mind for a while, and the moment I expressed my interest in joining the club they welcomed me with open arms. We could of course be open to new members joining, so make sure to contact us if you are interested!