LIONS Quest Program for Prevention of Violence & Bullying in Schools

OP-Ed

Violence and Bullying is a major high school issue in Georgia as well as worldwide. Violence is everywhere: in families and on the streets, in districts and establishments. Violence in the news comes as no surprise, as, on a daily basis, local and international TV channels report savage acts of violence.

In this article, we would like to share a special program by Lions Quest, which includes social and emotional learning issues. The aim is to prevent violence in schools.

A Red Cross Child Violence Neglect study, led by UNICEF, revealed that 60.8% of interviewed children have experienced some kind of verbal abuse, and 39.2% are victims of physical and verbal violence. (4385)

A UNICEF survey in Georgia 2013 showed that child violence is widespread. The major circumstance for violence is family, with 45% of families think that being strict is an essential part of raising a child. Every second Georgian thinks that strict methods are more effective than non-violent.

Experts, law enforcers, different GOs and society often question the reasons for violence and wonder how to prevent it and solve the issues surrounding the topic.

According to psychologists, violence is a method of control and suppression which includes emotional, social, economic, physical, and sexual enforcement, alongside suppression and damage. It can be direct (e.g. physical), and indirect (threat, persecution, lie). Violence is considered an act or word which can insult, damage or mistreat the rights of a human.

There are many forms of violence and it is spread across every level of society, specifically in families and schools. Violators can be parents, close relatives, teachers or peers.

Adults sometimes do not realize their abusive actions towards their children or students. This why children who have experience of abuse become violators themselves. Raising a human is a delicate balancing act, and most parents concentrate more on the process than the results. They do not consider the expected risks. Childhood experience determines human development. Previous experience show that victims of violence become violators. What is the reason for child violence? It is hard to give a specific answer to that question. Child violence can be caused by personal, cultural or social factors.

Children with an abusive experience have difficulties adapting to the environment and end up with physical and psychic problems. During adolescence these issues are even more vivid and, as result, society, parents and teachers get back the results of their actions. Children start drinking alcohol, get addicted to drugs and some become part of criminal circles. In short, they express their protest by making the wrong choices.

International studies clarify that fighting violence with violent ways is not efficient. The best way to prevent it is to educate and bring up children correctly. In an educational system, there are methods of teaching against bullying and violence with help of social – emotional learning.

These are the principles the LIONS Quest (LQ) programs are based on.

LIONS Quest is about the fundamental skills for life. The International LIONS Club Fund, a large charitable and humanitarian organization, implements prevention of an unhealthy lifestyle. LIONS stands for Liberty-Intelligence, for Our Nation’s Security, while ‘Quest’ is short for question. LQ programs have branches in over 50 countries. The program has three categories: preschool for kids, secondary for high school, and university students. The key focus is on social and emotional development of youth; fundamental skills such as responsibility, effective communication, setting aims, making the right choices, taking control in a situation of conflict, and prevention of alcohol and drug usage. A separate direction of the program is violence and bullying.

The LQ program created manuals based on the specifics of age-group and the implementation of the program includes family and society participation. The program starts by preparing teachers. Around 420,000 teachers have been trained worldwide and the manuals were translated into more than 30 languages, including Georgian.

The program starts functioning in Kutaisi, Georgia, in 2011, with the program ‘Skills for Adolescence’. Since 2013, the program has also been running in Tbilisi.

In 2014, LQ Georgia was founded to actively promote the implementation in other regions of Georgia such as Gori, Akhaltsikhe, Rustavi, Tskaltubo, Batumi and Zugdidi.

The LIONS Quest Country Director in Georgia is Tamara Gegenava, and Regional trainers in Georgia are Nino Beselia and Tamta Gabisonia.

Through the program, over 1,900 Georgian teachers and tutors were prepared.

Many teachers adapted the LQ program for their classes, also using the material for extracurricular activities. Most importantly, there has also been interest from parents, and their participation has become an essential part of the program.

The program conforms with the standards of Ministry of Education of Georgia for preschool and high school curricula.

The LQ program includes six major themes: positive learning environment, personal development, health and prevention, leadership and social-service studies, evaluation and conclusion. Quest activities and lesson scenarios improve children and teenagers in 5 directions: self-reflection, self-control, social awareness, communications skills, responsibility of self-behavior and development connected knowledge, skills, attitude and values.

The LQ programs create a positive school atmosphere, uniting students, school personnel, and families in order to educate children in 21st century skills. The program aims to help students to be self-confident, aware of their rights and to respect others’ rights, too. They also learn to be responsible for their actions in order to make the right choices and decisions, preventing them from becoming a victim of violence or being a violator.

On 11, 12, 13 January 2018, Tbilisi Courtyard Marriott hotel hosted the European LIONS Quest annual conference, seeing participants from 22 countries as well as 50 education experts.

The LIONS Quest program believes that empowering youth can make the world a better place.

Nino Beselia, Education Specialist