Peer Counselling: The Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme

 

General Situation

This section illustrates some specific scenarios that anti-bullying ambassadors may encounter when they interact with their target students. Teachers, social workers and counsellors can refer to this section and learn how to help anti-bullying ambassadors to deal with problems.

 

Scenario 1:

When an anti-bullying ambassador is treated dismissively by his target student: The solitary and reserved Lun.

Lun, who is a solitary Form 3 student, always avoids contact with others and is unwilling to talk proactively with his classmates. In school, he is always alone, rarely participates in school activities and is very resistant to attempts at active contact by the anti-bullying ambassador. One day, when Lun walked back to the classroom through the corridor, the anti-bullying ambassador (Man) proactively showed his identity to Lun and invited Lun to participate in the orientation activities organised by the anti-bullying ambassador. However, Lun was not interested in the activities and treated Man dismissively by refusing Man’s invitation. This made Man confused.

 

Scenario 2:

When the target student responds to the anti-bullying ambassador with tantrums: The agitated Yan

Yan, who is a Form 2 student, had an argument with her friends due to a casting decision for a school dramatic production. Yan thought that her friends picked on her on purpose and made her lose the chance to perform. After school, the anti-bullying ambassador (Yee) saw Yan remaining in the classroom alone in an emotionally unstable state. Yee approached Yan to express sympathy, but gave advice to Yan without listening to her carefully. This made Yan feel that Yee did not really care about her situation, and made Yan feel worse. Therefore, Yan left the room in anger.

 

Scenario 3:

When the target student proactively informs his anti-bullying ambassador that he broke the school rules: The frustrated Lun

Lun is always ridiculed and teased by his classmates at school and he always feels uncertain of himself. He has a tendency to retaliate and wants to fight back; however, he feels that he lacks sufficient abilities to do so, and struggles with the ethics of violence. One day, he passed through the organic garden alone, and destroyed the plants that belonged to the classmate who always teased him to vent his suppressed feelings of frustration and inadequacy. After that, Lun felt upset and worried that the teacher would punish him, yet he did not know how to deal with this situation.

Therefore, Lun approached an anti-bullying ambassador (Man) and told him the truth. He asked Man to help conceal his act of vandalism, which Man at first refused. However, to maintain the relationship with Lun, Man ultimately decided not to report the matter to a teacher.