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13 May 2022, Issue 1109
The art of jiu jitsu Mount Jiu Jitsu club is hosting its very first antibullying seminar after seeing what they believe is a rise in stress and anxiety in kids as they return to the classroom. In lockdown, kids didn’t really have to work on their interpersonal skills, leading to what seems to be a rise in bullying being noticed by Western Bay of Plenty parents.
Coach Sergio Garcia says youngsters at Mount Jiu Jitsu club, like Eben Groenenwald and Kees Sherson pictured, are first taught how to defuse situations and prevent problems before they arise. At his anti-bullying seminar kids will learn to identify potential bullies, to prevent problems before they happen and to use assertiveness to respond
to intimidation. “We’re not teaching them to attack by kicking or punching someone. “We tell them first to avoid or seek help,” says Sergio, who himself holds a purple belt in the sport. The anti-bullying seminar is at the Mount-based club, on MacDonald St, on May 29. Read the story on page 6. Photo: John Borren.