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Who we are
Student Council Batch 25-26
We chose to tackle the issue of bullying using the FIDS process
Our FIDS process
FEEL
Being treated as a taboo issue, talking about mental health or emotional expression is stigmatized as weakness. The truth is that many teenagers from around the world struggle with the feeling of being invisible or misunderstood, even when surrounded by others.
Through empathy mapping, where students who have faced difficult episodes were interviewed, various patterns and recurrent emotional pain were observed, outlining struggles such as unsafe school or domestic cultures, pressure to perform or conform, emotional masking, stigma around therapy or vulnerability, and the heartbreaking silence of bystanders.
IMAGINE
So we asked ourselves: “How might we break the silence around bullying, depression, and pressure and let students know they are not alone?”
Ideas like journaling, workshops, initiatives at schools, webpages, apps or artistic work were considered, but with collective brainstorming, there was an idea that managed to encapsulate it all:
“How might we create digital spaces that feel kind, real, and empowering?”
RISE appeared. We could offer teenagers who have seen bullying with their own eyes or have gone through states of emotional vulnerability, a digital and warm space to express their emotions and feel safe and listened to, while getting to know fellow students with shared experiences.
DO
Hands-on work, we planned this platform that will be run through Zoom, created a website with information and awareness content, a poster, a survey form, and also a sign-up form to join the first meeting, which will be held on the 1st of November. The plan includes an introduction to bullying, kinds of bullying, its impact on individuals and communities, and the RISE initiative itself. There are three breakout rooms, where listening circles, journaling, and art creations are the designated paths towards the expression of feelings and emotions.
Share
After the first meeting of the initiative, held on the 1st of November with 15 participants from 4 countries, led and planned by SCMS, where exchange, reflection and creation were the spine of the session, lots of enriching perspectives and confidence were gained. Participants were guided through a process of ice-breaking games, an introduction to the RISE initiative, three breakout rooms with different activities that enabled attendants to express their feelings and open their hearts -“Listening circles”, “Journaling” and “heART works”-, and a closing reflection on canalizing emotions and the importance of having a space to reflect, interact with people no matter their place in the world and reinforce the idea that we are not alone.
Tools like feedback forms, surveys, posters, and the webpage are being implemented as the communication and diffusion strategy, and the plan now continues in order to have more meetings, looking forward to the following one, on Saturday 8th of November.