IPB University Alumni Invite 842 People to Join the #1MillionYouthsStopBulliying Movement

In early 2024, the total cases of bullying against children received by the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) were 141 cases, with around 35 percent of cases occurring in the school environment. The high number of bullying cases in the school environment shows that there is a need to strengthen values in the school environment.

This is the mission of Rico Juni Artanto, an alumnus of IPB University from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (SKHB) with Ruber Innovation Lab to initiate the #1MillionYouthsStopBulliying movement. A movement that began in September 2023 has succeeded in providing benefits to more than 470 schools and 5.000 students in Jabodetabek and West Java.

According to Rico, his familiar nickname, bullying cases are not just about victims and perpetrators alone. However, it also involves elements of the environment in which the case arises.

“To overcome bullying, what needs to be considered is not only about the victim and the perpetrator, but also the environment. So, if the case occurs at school, we must strengthen the school ecosystem, including the principal, teachers, students, organizations within the school, and parents,” said the man from Tuban during a talk show session on Building a Safe School Ecosystem and Strong Mental Health in a series of Lipur Telah Tiba events at Paragon Community Hub, South Jakarta, on Saturday (5/10).

The event, which was also attended by Salman Subakat, CEO of NSEI PT Paragon Corp and Ali Mukodas, Chief of the SMA Division of the DKI Jakarta Education Office, has succeeded in bringing in 628 participants offline and 214 participants online through Zoom Meeting. 

Interestingly, the participants have different backgrounds, ranging from educators, parents, students, and even university students. This shows that the awareness to uphold the anti-bullying movement in the school environment is a collective goal. It is hoped that this movement can minimize the number of bullying cases in the school environment.

In addition to the talk show session, this event also invited participants to enjoy a short film entitled Lara Bisu which is a collaboration between #1MillionYouthsStopBulliying and Ruber Visual.

For participants who attended offline at Paragon Community Hub, they could also experience hands-on interaction with the booths available. These included playing Buddy Pekerti cards, playing Wheel of Emotions, a Heart to Heart session with a renowned psychologist, writing hopes on the Wall of Hope, and free Skin Checking.

Buddy Pekerti is a board game created by IPB University alumni, Apriyani Supriatna, Risky Sherly Putri, and Abdul Aziz, a tool used by #1MillionYouthsStopBulliying to combat bullying cases in the school environment. 

“Buddy Pekerti is a collaborative game for the school ecosystem to help prevent bullying,” added Rico Juni Artanto.

“I am very happy to be able to play Buddy Pekerti because I can express my heart,” said Tiara, a high school student who had the opportunity to experience playing Buddy Pekerti cards.

“Playing Buddy Pekerti is really fun. I can understand my friend’s heart better,” said Niken, Tiara’s playmate.

This event was not just a moment, but a clear proof that the anti-bullying movement in Indonesia, especially in the school environment, is still getting public attention and a lot of support from various parties. Of course, this is still a small step towards breaking the chain of bullying in the school environment.

The spirit of #1MillionYouthsStopBullying also received support from PT Paragon Corp and Indika Foundation. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)