On the International Day of the Boy Child 2025, Ocean Stellar joined hands with the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Port Harcourt Chapter, to host a memorable session for the boys of Community Secondary School, Borokiri. The theme: “Say No to Bullying – Shape Your Future and the Future of Your Friends.”
The room was filled with energy, curiosity, and a desire to learn as our facilitator shared his journey. From secondary school to undergraduate studies, industrial training, NYSC, and finally a career in engineering, we illustrated how integrity, resilience, and leadership have shaped his path. We encouraged the students to embrace their potential, make courageous choices, and positively impact everyone around them.
Students explored what bullying really is: repeated aggressive behaviour meant to hurt, intimidate, or dominate someone. They learned it can take many forms: verbal (insults, teasing, threats), physical (hitting, pushing, stealing), social(excluding, gossiping, spreading lies), and cyberbullying (mean posts, messages, fake accounts).
Why does bullying happen? Sometimes pain gets passed on: hurt people hurt people. Sometimes bullies seek power, believing fear equals strength. Silence allows bullying to escalate, and trying to fit in may push someone to hurt others just to belong. We explained how these patterns can affect everyone: victims feel fear, shame, and lose confidence; bullies may become more aggressive and regret their actions later; bystanders can feel guilty, numb, or miss opportunities to be heroes.
Recognizing the signs is key. Students were taught to notice behavioural changes like avoiding school or withdrawing from activities, emotional signs such as sadness or self-hate, and physical signs like unexplained bruises or headaches.
Preventing bullying is a shared responsibility:
- Schools must create safe, respectful environments, set clear rules, train teachers, and encourage reporting.
- Parents should teach kindness, watch for signs, listen without judgment, and collaborate with schools.
- Students can speak up, support peers, avoid joining in, and be the friend someone needs.
Most bullying happens with an audience. We reminded students that bystanders have power. Standing beside a victim, speaking up if safe, protecting peers, and reporting incidents to trusted adults can stop bullying in its tracks.
If you’re being bullied, We encouraged:
- Don’t stay silent-telling a trusted adult is strength, not weakness.
- Stay calm and safe; remember, it’s not your fault.
- Keep evidence online, block, and report bullies.
- Stay around safe people.
- Choose kindness, and be the person you wish someone had been for you.
We concluded with a timeless reminder from Proverbs 3:5-6:
” Bullying Stops With You. Report It. Don’t Ignore It. Speaking up is strength, not weakness.”
The session left students inspired, informed, and empowered to take action. They learned that standing against bullying is not just about defending themselves-it’s about shaping a safer, more compassionate school community.
