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Announcement

SNMC Vision: Muslim Youth-Opportunities and Challenges

Children spend a great deal of their time in schools and online. Today’s school culture is diverse due to ethnicity, language, culture, and religion. Each child tries to make some friends and socialize with those friends.

Unfortunately, a small percentage of kids are bullied at schools. Further, there is a fair chance our nice quiet kids might be bullied in school. He or she may feel shy to share with parents or even with siblings. They may not even share their feelings with class teachers. A young boy or girl may suffer silently.  Gradually they may lose interest in school, feel isolated and then become depressed. Many children complain of tummy pain especially when they cannot put their thoughts into words. For information about Ottawa’s public school students who are bullied, please read the survey below. (http://www.torontosun.com/2012/10/06/controversial-school-survey-results-in)

After being bullied (in-person or online), being in isolation and feeling depressed, some kids take drastic actions.  Their actions could lead to a path of self-destruction, and in extreme cases, followed the path of suicide. Have you heard of Amanda Todd’s story yet? Let’s all learn from this case! (https://nobullying.com/amandatodd-story/).

As parents, we need to be proactive about what is happening in our schools and meet the homeroom teachers. In addition, it’s important parents know what is happening in their child’s online presence. You could consider volunteering at your child’s schools to get to know the school culture and read your child’s social media posts.

We can also invite the parents and friends of our children and visit the homes of our children’s friends to ensure our children’s safety.

We also need to spend quality time with our children and join activities in a masjid as a family unit. The best gift a parent can give to their children is the quality of their uninterrupted time. Children will always remember the time that parent spend with their parents

Additional Resources:

Bullying – We can all help stop it A guide for parents of elementary and secondary school students