13 Mar Anti-Bullying Movement Program
The Vancouver Foundation, Columbia Basin Trust, Government of Canada, and British Columbia Ministry Responsible for Sport and Multiculturalism have supported the creation of a new program within our Community Training and Performance Program: Anti-Bullying Movement Program.
In delivery of our foundational program, Interactive Dance Awareness, we balance the promotion of positive social values with art culture & physical activity. We use dance to work with youth-at-risk and rural communities to deliver a process-based learning program where SQx artists use rigorous physical activity and imagination to promote positive social values. However, Interactive Dance Awareness only generally targets a variety of social issues.
With the support of our new funding, we have embarked Since receiving Vancouver Foundation support for development of a new more targeted socially conscious program (Anti-Bullying Movement Program). Anti-Bullying Movement Program is an entirely new program syllabus devoted & specialized in fostering meaningful change in bullying in youth.
Youth Addressed Issues
Our Interactive Dance Awareness presenters are young people themselves (15 – 25 years old) and in coordination with discussions and reflections that are entrenched in Interactive Dance Awareness presenters, participants, and school staff have deduced that: fear of the other, income disparity, inability to work together, racial divides, societal divides, and the lack of social skills to actively show inclusion, friendship, kindness are holding bullying in place.
Disrupting Bullying
Participants have identified that bullying “grows-up” to be racism, sexual harassment, hate crimes, loneliness, substance abuse, suicide (results brainstormed by elementary students). However, through friendship, by practicing getting along at a young age, we can embrace our differences, disagreements, fear. This practice of friendship-building disrupts bullying–because we do not have to be the same to be friends. It also:
- strengthens our attachment to our families, schools, friendships, and communities
- encourages community resiliency, belonging, and vibrancy
Unity & Belonging
Process of delivering a new blended-value arts program will enable us to disrupt systematic behaviours and issues— resulting in society with greater unity & an increased sense of belonging youth.
Program Goals
- Increase belonging by disrupting bullying and intolerance even in diverse communities because we do not have to be the same to be friends
- Ensure graduates of the Anti-Bullying-Movement Program return to their communities as role models & spokespersons for demonstrating positive social behaviours & interpersonal skills instead of negative ones (as above)
- Increase engagement and access to art and culture
- Increase engagement and access to physical activity
