"Be a Friend"...An initiative to combat forms of bullying (video)
Child Psychologist Dr. Hanin Jarrar
Director of Communications for UNICEF in the Gulf, Rafiq Al-Warshafani
Mohamed Shiha, Head of Digital Marketing and Communications at Wanner Media Middle East
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“Be a friend, do not bully,” a slogan that the “Friendship Initiative” encourages children aged five to 12 years old to use as an expressive tool through which they fight bullying, and to emphasize the importance of friendship and kindness in social interaction.
Cartoon Network in the Middle East, which launched the initiative in cooperation with UNICEF, announced the introduction of new content to combat bullying, as part of the awareness initiative.
This initiative was launched in 2019, and the new content that will be presented to children through video songs is the second phase of the campaign, and it aims mainly to educate children and parents about the effects of bullying in all its forms.
Working closely with UNICEF, the Friendship Initiative has committed to a range of programs to coincide with Global Anti-Bullying Week, which runs from 15-21 November.
The Head of Digital Marketing and Communications at Wanner Media Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, Mohamed Shiha, confirmed to "Emirates Today" that the campaign "Friendship Initiative included when a group of educational videos for children about bullying was launched, and this year it brings to children new content that also includes songs. The content was launched in conjunction with the International Day for Tolerance. He pointed out that the station specializes in providing cartoon and entertainment content for children, explaining that the content was created according to standards that can effectively communicate the message, including the song that talks about friendship between children by Hamoud Al-Khidr, in addition to the song "Laith Al-Assad", and then the other section comes with specialists. Who work through workshops in schools to provide various solutions for children to combat bullying.
For his part, the Director of Communications for the UNICEF office in the Gulf, Rafiq Al-Warshafani, spoke about the work of UNICEF on the issue of bullying for a long time, stressing that the work that has been done so far is not enough, especially since bullying is on the increase, especially since the number of people joining social media networks is increasing.
He called on governments, private companies, parents and teachers to join these campaigns and initiatives to clearly define the concept of bullying, due to the lack of awareness about the concept of bullying and how to address it.
Child psychologist Dr. Hanin Jarrar knew bullying, noting that it takes many forms, including verbal or physical bullying, or what the child is exposed to via the Internet, all of which have significant effects on the physical and psychological health of children, pointing out that the initiative carries many workshops Which will be directed to children at school.
She noted the importance of dealing with bullying responsibly by parents as well as schools, stressing that children are familiarized with the forms of bullying, and the steps that must follow their exposure to bullying, and to ensure that there is frankness between the family and the child.
As for the signs of bullying that may appear on the child if he is bullied, Jarrar indicated that physical bullying appears clearly, and we may see the child’s refusal to school, a change in mood, eating and sleeping disorders, and changes in the child’s academic performance.
She stressed that it is necessary for parents not to carelessly deal with bullying, because this reflects on the child's self-confidence, and may develop into bigger problems that translate into social phobia.
"Cartoon Network" and "UNICEF" launch an anti-bullying initiative # Emirates_ Today pic.twitter.com/jtgYxKr1rx
- Emirates Today (@emaratalyoum) November 16, 2021
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