(From left) Lee and press conference organising chairman Chong Po Yeng presenting a token of appreciation to Wong after the launch of Buddy Not Bully campaign. Looking on is JCI Bandar Klang 2023 president Andrew Goh.
SUBANG MP Wong Chen has allocated RM4mil over the past five years to 50 schools in his constituency.
The money was spent on infrastructure repairs such as roofing and to upgrade facilities such as toilets and libraries.
Wong said this after launching the 2023 edition of an anti-bullying campaign in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
The “Buddy Not Bully” campaign by Junior Chamber International (JCI) Bandar Klang is supported by Klang District Youth Council.
It aims to spread the anti-bullying message among students in the Klang Valley.
Buddy Not Bully campaign founder Jimmy Tan explained that they were inspired to start the campaign in 2017.
That was the year 18-year-old T. Nhaveen died after being assaulted by a group of ex-schoolmates who had a history of bullying him in school.
“We started on a small scale by organising a talk at SJK (C) Chuen Min in Klang.
“We wanted to educate students on what they should do if they were a victim of bullying and also share about the consequences.
“We received support from Klang Education Department and expanded the campaign to 15 schools in Klang the following year, reaching more than 10,000 students,” he said.
Tan said the campaign included drawing and video contests in 2019.
It went online during the Covid-19 pandemic with a focus on cyberbullying.
“For this year, we are retaining the educational talks and plan to have them at 10 Klang Valley schools,” said campaign organising chairman Yiss Lee.
“There will also be sharing sessions to raise mental health awareness,” she said, adding that one activity had been carried out in SJK (C) Lick Hung, Subang Jaya.
“We are adding a mural painting element this year, whereby JCI Bandar Klang members and students from participating schools will paint a series of murals at the 10 schools based on the theme ‘Peace begins with a smile’,” said Lee.
She said there would also be a short video contest, which required participants to share an anti-bullying message within a 60-second clip.
This contest will run from March 1 to July 15 and the results will be announced in August at a music concert with experiential booth activities, she added.
Campaign materials and contest details can be found at www.buddynotbully.org
