Kids Play held their Annual Bullying Prevention Forum at Bell Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday, February 8 in Surrey. The aim of this forum was to broaden the community’s understanding of bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence among children and youth. This was done by sharing knowledge, exploring new perspectives and acknowledging that bullying and other forms of degrading treatment have to be understood as a complex interplay between individual, interpersonal and contextual factors. The forum invited perspectives from different disciplines and areas.
This free information session was facilitated by speakers from Red Cross Respect Education, Mediate BC, Bully Free BC and Crime Stoppers. The forum created multidisciplinary and cross-level dialogues and panels to improve the understanding of the topic. $5000 in scholarships was distributed to students at the end of the forum. Kids Play believes education is a fundamental human right and no one should be deprived of their right to educational opportunities. This is the reason behind their free programs. “We stand together, united with one cause, to serve unconditionally,” said KidsPlay founder Kal Dosanjh, who tirelessly works to organize such important events for youth and families.
“Deep felt gratitude to all parents and students attending the event. I am speechless at the selfless service of our volunteers. They are simply amazing. Special thanks to our sponsors and community partners, who provide us opportunity to serve.” The forum was a success and they are working towards putting together similar programs in the upcoming months.