Bullying: Learning, experience and tackling bullying ideas in the Virtual Rotary Youth Exchange Program between Bangladesh and Indonesia by Nevyn Haque
I.
Bullying is a sensitive topic for me. I am a victim of bullying. So, I wanted to know about the bullying in Indonesia. Unfortunately, just like Bangladesh, people in Indonesia don’t take bullying seriously. To them, it is a part of growing up. Bullies are punished sometimes. But no one cares about the reasons behind it. There are hitting, pinching, mocking, gossiping, spreading rumors and cyberbullying. I am a victim of some of these actions. One of the incidents I have heard that one student had darker skin tone. She was the target of bullying. She tried to counter attack the bullies by making a TikTok video by insulting them. It got worse. Just like Bangladesh, there are chat groups of bullies, where bullies make fun of the victims. I also heard of an incident where a girl gave an indecent proposal to another girl in front of everyone. The victim was so scared that she ran away and the students present there started to laugh. It was planned beforehand to embarrass and scare the victim. There are types of bullies and they sounded completely different to me. They approach the targeted victims with softness and friendship. Then they become friends and the bullies collect sensitive and personal information of the victims and the ‘family. Then they circulate information which are very private. There is another kind of bullying where the bully badmouths the school and teachers and other students. If the victim agrees with them, then the bullies spread it like wild fire. They use screenshots and call recordings. The bullies blur their own name and photos. There are bullies who select kids who are timid or new students where they cut off from them. The other students who are not the bullies cannot stand up for the victims as they are scared of being bullied. Some bullies use a phrase in Bahasa Indonesia “Hati hati di jalan” meaning be careful. It is common language but bullies use it often.
There are many types of bullies who have done unimaginable things to their victims. And these victims don’t have the courage to speak up about these horrid actions they have experienced. Most bullies hurt others because of their own personal problems. They think that they can relive their own stress and pain by hurting others. I think we should help these victims and give them justice. The bullies need to know that they don’t know what people are going through and just because they know their victims’ personal details and opinions, doesn’t give them the right to pass that type of information on to others.
I learnt not to share personal and private information with school online. I am always loyal to my teachers in my school so if I am bullied, I would inform my teachers immediately. But I don’t want to sound like a complaining or nagging person. The only social media I have is Instagram. If someone is bullied, then the victim should take screenshots and report the bullies’ account no matter what social media. UNESCO has anti-bullying programs in Indonesia but there are none in Bangladesh. UNESCO should start anti-bullying campaigns in Bangladesh as well.
II.
Rotary International has a Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Program. It could take place for a month to one year. The one-month program is like a summer camp. In the one-year program, high school students are sent to different countries to study there, live there with the host family, and learn about their language, tradition, culture, and customs.
By chance I was offered to join virtual RYE. I was interested because I wanted to know more about another country’s culture and if a foreign exchange program could take place virtually. I wanted to know how bullying was dealt with in different countries.
My exchange country was Indonesia. And my teammate was Marzella Afi. We were the pilot project for VRYE. In this program, I was the only one who was not a member of the Interact and the child of not a Rotarian.
Then the journey began on 1st November 2020 and ended on 2nd January 2021. Afi and I talked about our counties' introduction culture, tradition, customs for days. We introduced our family members and friends. We talked about 3-4 hours every day in WhatsApp and Instagram. Teaching each other language was part of the program. I cooked an Indonesian dish called rendang all by myself without any help. I taught Afi Bangladesh Style Mashed Potatoes via Video recording. I chose this dish because fancy dishes of urban people do not represent a country’s traditional cuisine. We even virtually dined with each other's families. Afi taught me Indonesian National Anthem and a folk song. I did the same. We taught each other via video call as acapella. We learned about the education system. I came to know about their famous tourist spots as did she. We learnt dances from each other's countries via video call and performed. The best thing in two month’s programs is that we celebrated Christmas virtually. I baked a cake for Afi and Afi baked cookies for me. I sent a scanned handwritten letter, a card and a gift (The Gift of the Magi and other stories by O'Henry in PDF file) Afi sent me a scanned handwritten letter. We also celebrated The New year together. We wrote each other in in each other's language
III.
For me, it was not a program. It was a journey of learning, realizing and self-discovery. I learned fascinating information that inspired me to continue learning about different countries' cultures, traditions, and customs.
I felt that distance, WI-FI malfunction, exam pressure, skepticism, language and time difference can not be barriers in friendship and making a new family. Afi and I started the journey as strangers and became families and friends. To continue, we need to nurture our friendship and family bonding in happiness and sorrow, in good times and bad times. This journey will go on for the rest of our lives.
Nevyn P. Haque is a student of Grade VIII, European Standard School, Dhaka Bangladesh. She is 15 years old. She was awarded for British Council Reading Competition in 2014 and came in 9th position of the WINGS Learning Centre first Annual General Knowledge Quiz Competition in 2018. She campaigned in her school to raise donations for Nepal Earth Quake victims in 2015. Her essays, book reviews and photography were published in The Key Lit Magazine, Ink and Feather 2020 Spring and Summer Issues and Teen Belle Magazine and IHRAF Youth Anthology on Human Rights and Social Justice. She takes a keen interest in community service and anti-bullying campaign. She has completed her Virtual Rotary Youth Exchange program 2020-2021 as a pilot exchange participant in Bangladesh. Her past time is reading, travelling, different cuisine and taking pictures.
Attribution for previously published articles:
https://thekeylitmag.wixsite.com/thekey/post/review-of-the-tyrant-s-tomb
