Protect Them B4 Abuse Begins: Students ages 5-17

Erytrean Refugee Day by Not Guilty
Be Agents of Change

Participants were divided as follows

51 adults (parents)

57 adolescents (age 11-14)

63 teens (age 15-18)

Total: 171

Summary of day:

The workshop took place on January 28^th, 2022 from 12pm to 5pm at St. Joseph’s church. The workshop was provided by qualified and professional trainers and facilitators brought by Not Guilty for Family Development, an Egyptian NGO. Three main translators attended and were in each session.

The workshops topics of focus were: war trauma and anti-bullying/anti-sexual abuse for the adults. The session on war trauma used case studies and divided them into groups to discuss in detail together.

As for the adolescents and teens they received workshops on anti-bullying/anti-sexual abuse. Facilitators used games and fun activities to convey ideas regarding: keeping one’s boundaries, knowing the difference between a bad and good touch, understanding facial expressions/tones, understanding and accepting how ones feels, and more.

Concluding the day, surveys were passed on to the adult/parents group.

Summary of survey:

33 adults responded to the survey which included the below questions:

1)    What is something you learned today?

2)    What subject affected you the most?

3)    After today, what will you do differently?

4)    What would you like future workshops to be on?

5)    Share something positive about today:

6)    Share something negative about today:

Please check the box if it applies to you:

I’d like to receive medical support for me or my children

I’d like to speak with someone more about my feelings and struggles

Below are summary points of answers to the survey:

• Everyone wrote that they learned a lot of new things

o   Example responses Consequence of bullying and the difference between a good and bad feeling and how to solve our problems 

• They really enjoyed the case studies, saying “it’s our life story”, particularly the one on the child soldier
• To the question “What will you do differently?”:

o   7 responded “now I will be more confident

o   3 answered along the lines of: Live positively, love my children, raise my children in a better way

o   Others answered: Express my feelings better, pay attention to my feelings

• Most commented on enjoying the approach of the workshop and the activities
• One interesting comment by a woman was that she didn’t know sexual abuse can happen to men too
• Some commented regarding the timing of the workshop expressing it was too long, while others commented on it being too short and that the war trauma session in particular went by too fast. They enjoyed the war trauma session and want more sessions like it.
• As for the session on anti-abuse/anti-bullying for adults, some commented that it had a lot of repetition, and felt that it was a lecture not given for an adult level audience, but rather for children 
• On the question regarding future workshop topic suggestions some answered:

o   Anger management when parenting

o   Positive parenting

o   Marriage session: dealing with conflict within the couples 

o   Helping youth and adolescents: How to discipline adolescents without yelling  

• Some want to understand what counseling means and entails
• 26 out of 33 want medical assistance
• 20 out of 33 want to speak with someone more about their feelings and struggles 
• There was particular positive feedback for: Simone (with the older youth) and Iman (on war trauma)

All in all the day was a great success with overall positive feedback!

Links:

• Erytrean Refugee Day with Not Guilty