Anti-bullying activists visit local schools

BULLYING was the topic under discussion last week when local student, Sandhir Sewmungal joined a family from Cape Town on a tour of local schools.

Two years ago, Sewmungal launched his novel The Unknown Journey and started working as an anti-bullying activist. He teamed up with a registered NPO, Chauncey’s Epic Anti-Bullying Club based in Cape Town which was launched by the Davids family after the death of their son, Chauncey, who was also a victim of bullying. They visited three local schools and an orphanage where they educated children on the consequences of bullying and shared their stories..

“Over the past few months we have heard of many incidents concerning bullying in the media and we want people to know that we are willing to help those who are suffering in silence and also help the bullies themselves change for the better,” said Sewmungal.

In 2014 he published The Unknown Journey and was also honoured to receive an award for the book, and was nominated for the Top 40 Inspiring Student of the year by University of KwaZulu-Natal

“My book has allowed me to share my experiences with others and has also educated parents and teachers on the consequences of bullying. My experience has encouraged those that are suffering in silence to speak up about bullying,” he said.

In 2015 he was invited to Chauncey’s Epic Anti-Bullying launch in Cape Town and since then has been part of the team. “Chauncey’s Anti-Bullying Campaign is a NPO that travels to schools educating learners and educators on the consequences of bullying. We had great interaction with and reception from children in Durban, working in two sessions, with Grade 1s to 3s and with Grade 4s to 12s. In 22 months we have been to 38 schools and spoken to community groups, youth groups and sports teams. Where there is a need, we go,” said Beverley Davids.

“If we allow bullies in primary school, they move on to bully others in high school and then as adults in the work place. Bullying is like mold, if it’s kept in the dark, it grows. It needs to be opened up and exposed,” said Beverley.

“Our plans to take the campaign forward is to reach out to as many schools as possible so that we may educate learners, teachers and parents about the consequences of bullying. We hope to have more people on board to support us and help take on bullying in South Africa. It is very important to have the support from everyone as we feel that the more people are with us the stronger we can become. Most importantly we don’t want to make the change alone, we want to make the change together and save many lives as possible that are affected by bullying,” said Sewmungal