bBrave was invited by Ms. Greta Antignolo, the author of the children’s book L-Għajnuna hi Prezzjuża, to address those present at the launch of this book at the Agenda Bookshop Waterfront on the 4th April 2018.
L-Għajnuna hi Prezzjuża is intended to prevent bullying amongst young children, encouraging to be kind to each other, as well as advise them to seek help and speak up when something is wrong. The book was also written in a way that young readers may learn the days of the week and some parts of the human body in the Maltese language.
The President of bBrave, Ing. Norman Zammit spoke about the various forms of bullying, and the journey of bBrave to date. Individuals experiencing some form of bullying should realise that they are not alone in their ordeal because bBrave is growing to be there to support them. bBrave also intends to help individuals demonstrating bullying attitudes to better direct their emotions.
Dr. Aaron Zammit Apap, Secretary General, explained that children should learn from a young age that bullying is not on. He spoke of the deficit of role models in our society, and children’s rights to look up to their seniors. Glorifying bad behaviour presents grave societal repercussions, and society seems to be far more accepting of untoward behaviour on the social media. A summary of bBrave’s operations over its first year was also given.
The Hon. Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo also attended the event. In his speech he expressed his appreciation to the thought process behind the initiative that led Greta Antignolo to publish her book. He further expressed his deep concerns on the escalation of cyber bullying due to the rising popularity of social media. He also indicated that the government was working on a legislative framework to address bullying at the workplace.