Community Partner: MYMCA
Target Audience – Youths, aged 13 to 18
Brief Project Overview:
The first station involved an activity where the youths were presented with scenarios and had to make choices, promoting introspection and critical thinking. The next station was a human library, where they expressed their reactions to roleplayers using emojis, encouraging open communication in a creative way. Finally, the debrief session acted as a closing statement, allowing self-reflection, and the team celebrated and acknowledged the youths for their openness. Additionally, a kahoot quiz was implemented to assess the project's success in raising awareness while adding an element of fun for the participants. The team firmly believes that addressing self-hate speech is vital as youths are susceptible to negative self-perceptions, leading to deteriorating mental health. The adage "Hurt people hurt people" resonates, as individuals who have experienced pain may unconsciously inflict pain on others. Thus, the team believes in tackling the issue internally by promoting awareness of self-hate among all individuals. This approach is particularly critical in the digital age, where social media amplifies such negative actions through online comparison, cyberbullying, and harassment. By empowering youths to embrace self-confidence and self-acceptance, the team aims to create a more compassionate and understanding digital community.
Objectives:
Fostering self-confidence and self-acceptance in the face of prevalent self-hate speech. The 1-hour pilot project comprised three engaging stations.
Activities and Initiatives:
The team engaged in several visits and consultations with community partners, providing them the chance to interview volunteers actively involved with the youths. These interactions proved invaluable in reassessing the initial ideation and gaining deeper insights. Additionally, the team participated in workshops with Air Amber, which effectively challenged their critical thinking process. As a result, they were able to pivot from a general and broad idea to honing in on a specific issue related to hate speech. Throughout these activities, the team identified key elements crucial for engaging the youths effectively on this topic. Recognizing the importance of tailored approaches, they developed strategies to address the specific needs and interests of the youth demographic.
Goals and Objectives:
The pilot project had three primary goals: to raise awareness about self-hate, foster self-confidence, and encourage self-acceptance among the participants. The team aimed to spread positivity and assure the youths that they are not alone in facing these issues. Following the project's implementation, the team conducted a kahoot quiz and a survey, which indicated an improved understanding of self-hate speech among the participants. However, despite these positive outcomes, the team also encountered challenges that hindered the overall success of the initiative.
Challenges Faced:
During the ideation phase, the team faced the challenge of managing numerous stakeholders and conflicting opinions, leading to a sense of overwhelm. However, through insightful consultation with the community partner, they successfully identified the root cause of the issue, allowing for a more focused approach. In the implementation phase, the team encountered difficulties in effectively engaging the youths with the serious topic of self-hate. The introduction and icebreakers initially used were perceived as superficial and unclear in addressing the core issue. Nevertheless, the team persisted, and towards the end, the youths gained a deeper understanding of the topic, primarily through the kahoot activity on self-hate.
Final Challenge Statement: How might we increase awareness amongst the youth aged 13 to 18 years old about self hate speech and its consequences?
Presentation Deck:
**Scenario Card Examples:**
