anti-bullying alliance

Inspired by the success Supreme Counselling for Personal Development (SCPD) has had locally with the internationally acclaimed Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams, wants to see the programme replicated in his homeland.

The Governor General, accompanied by his wife Lady Williams, recently visited Barbados to witness firsthand the local version of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme in operation. Shawn Clarke, the founder and CEO of SCPD, who serves as a Certified National Olweus Bullying Prevention Trainer & Consultant, hosted the Governor General and his wife.

Following a visit to two of the four schools in which the anti-bullying initiative is run, Clarke explained the alliance, noting that this very week he will be in Antigua to start his work to launch a national anti-bullying campaign there, at the country’s request.

“They contacted me to assist them with developing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme in Antigua. I had initial visits with them, met with Sir Rodney Williams and I am happy to report that we will be implementing the programme in six schools in Antigua. I will actually be travelling there on Thursday May 10th to start that process,” Clarke told The Barbados Advocate.

“So they wanted to come over to Barbados to have a look not only at the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme, but at the entire Supreme setting, to see if we can implement such a programme in Antigua and how best it would work for the young people there. So I am extremely happy to help them visit us here in Barbados,” Supreme Counselling’s CEO added.

Clarke further noted that it is the shared interest and love of youth that has seen both parties working together.

“I think it is because of our love for children. I think both myself, Lady Williams and Sir Rodney Williams share a love for children and we want to see not only the Barbadian youth and Antiguan youth, but youth of the Caribbean develop and grow in the right direction,” he pointed out.

“The reality is that I cannot look at what is happening in Barbados in isolation and not concentrate on what is happening in Antigua and St. Lucia and St. Vincent, because at the end of the day, you have a lot of migration happening throughout the Caribbean. So I think it is something we need to look at, a Caribbean approach, if we want to solve a lot of the problems that we are having,” Clarke commented.

He meanwhile stressed that Antiguan officials are looking to embrace the anti-bullying programme on a national level, and while he is happy about this, he would like to the see the same approach adopted here.

“The thing about Antigua is they are not only embracing it in terms of the schools, but I have actually put together a national campaign for Antigua, so we are going to be doing town hall meetings throughout Antigua, billboards will be posted on the highways, we will be doing radio shows and public service announcements. It’s going to be a massive, massive effort in Antigua and it is my prayer and my hope and my desire that Barbados will follow suit,” Clarke remarked.

“Although I am a Caribbean man, I am Barbadian first and foremost and I would love to be able to utilise my skills here in Barbados for the development of Barbados, for the betterment of Barbadians and to take the programme to such a level, that Barbados can be seen as the flagstaff of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme in the entire Caribbean region,” he added.