Kuching, Sept 30: Youth members of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society from SMK Batu Lintang, SMK Bandar Kuching No 1 and SM Chung Hua Middle School No 1 raised awareness on mental health issues through an online telematch.
The Head Section Leader (HSL) of Red Crescent Youth Unit No 19 SMK Batu Lintang (under Stampin District) Joel Pang Kai Chen expressed his heartfelt gratitude after the telematch ended.
“I’m really glad the HSL of RCYU 7 (Red Crescent Youth Unit No 7) introduced this novel theme to me. It’s high time more issues regarding mental health and cyberbullying are highlighted in this modern era.
“No one should ever be bullied, be it physically or virtually, and we are using this platform to advocate for this cause and to encourage the victims to find their voice. I’m really proud of the organising committee who spent countless hours rehearsing and planning; the turn-up made it all worth it,” said Pang in a statement recently.
A total of 21 participants from three schools joined the bilingual Virtual Youth Gathering ‘Cyberbully’ Telematch with five stations via five breakout rooms in Google Meet in Mandarin and English.
All five stations focused on the theme in hopes of raising awareness on mental health and cyberbullying.
The participants played games such as puzzles, Pictionary, word search, detective games and undercover games virtually.
The Best Team Award went to Ivan Bong, Ashton Yong, Aristarchus Ho, Gloria Tang, Xavier Tiong, Wang Yun Ya and Kendrick Lim, which was led by their group leader Voon Yeu Nen.
“It’s really well organised, everything was well planned and the roleplay was absolutely awesome. A really big thumbs-up to all of the role-players and the station masters. I really enjoyed this event, thank you to all committee members from all three schools,” said Kendrick Lim, a Form Four participant.
Likewise, a Form Four member, Alicia Claire Alexander shared that the activities were very fun, and called the event “meaningful” as it brought about awareness on mental health issues. She suggested improving the communication skills between the role-players for an even smoother run.
Teacher advisor Ho Jia Yiing from SMK Batu Lintang applauded the initiative and inter-school collaboration among student-leaders.
“As our teens are spending longer hours on social media nowadays, it is hoped that parents, teachers and their peers pay more attention to youths who are showing signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety and sudden withdrawals from close friends and family,” said Ho. — DayakDaily
