| “I learned that if I am ever in a bullying situation, I need to run to a teacher or parent and tell them what happened. I need to speak out.” – Punarjot Singh , 11 years old “It definitely shows us that we are not alone.” – Harpreet Kaur, 13 years old “I like that this taught kids from such a young age what to look out for. I didn’t have that growing up, I am glad the younger kids have this.” – Jaskiran Kaur, 15 years old “The presentation showed us that we aren’t alone and others are going through this. It also showed that there are resources out there to help and that UNITED SIKHS is always there to help us. – Amrit Kaur, 12 years old “I thought it was a really great way to show us how to tell if we ourselves are being bullied, but also how to help our friends if they are the ones being bullied.” – Sunreet Kaur, 14 years old |
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Dear Sadh Sangat Ji,
On Monday, August 11 2014, over 100 of my peers and members of my community gathered for our Annual Gurmat Camp at the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara of Long Island in Hicksville, New York. During the camp, UNITED SIKHS came to speak to me and my peers, ranging from 5-15 years of age, about Bullying-
How to recognize when we are being bullied,
Why Sikh youth are major targets of bullying and
How to address bullying.
For pictures, please click here
Bullying has become such an integral part of our everyday life, I didn’t realize things like “stealing” and “teasing” were considered bullying. One by one, I watched as my peers and some of the youngest kids in our camp took turns coming to the front of the room to share their own experiences of bullying.
We learned we are not alone. With recent surveys in California and New York showing statistics as high as 69% of our Sikh youth being bullied, it was no surprise so many of us attending the camp had personally been victims.
I know I personally found it to be such a great experience hearing from everyone, each with a different story. Every time UNITED SIKHS team asked for a story, 5-6 hands went up and everyone was ready to talk about how they felt when they were bullied and the actions they took or wish they took. It was an eye opener to see how many of us were in the same boat.
With disturbingly high rates of bullying for my peers and my younger siblings, I believe we must educate one another and through such efforts, we can make sure no child is left alone to suffer in the hands of a bully.
This was an amazing experience and I really hope other gurdwaras and communities across the country take advantage of these resources and workshops by having UNITED SIKHS host a Bully Prevention Workshop for the Sikh youth in their communities.
If you would like a bullying prevention workshop for your children and their schools, please write to law-usa@unitedsiks.org
