A member of the Korean boy’s group Super Junior, Siwon Choi will use his celebrity and influence in Vietnam in support of UNICEF’s campaign ‘Stop Bullying’ to raise awareness of young people on bullying and to engage them in how to develop solutions for ending this problem.
It will be Siwon’s third visit to Vietnam and this time he will be accompanied by celebrity actor Jaemin Park, UNICEF Vietnam said in a press release on Wednesday.
As part of the campaign, the artists will join schoolchildren in Da Nang on October 2 to discuss issues related to violence against children, including bullying.
They will also attend the ‘For Every Child, Music’ concert with performances from children in an effort to promote the positive role of music learning at school.
At the UNICEF Youth Talk, Choi Siwon and Jaemin Park will listen to schoolchildren from Da Nang discussing how bullying is affecting them and what form of support they need from their peers, caregivers, teachers, school personnel, and the community to feel safe.
The aim of the Youth Talk is to inspire young people across Vietnam to speak up about bullying and to find solutions together.
“Bullying is so common that it's viewed as almost ‘normal,’ but it should never be,” said Siwon Choi.
“Bullying will eventually end if we all decide to stop it.
“Children should speak out and take action to support each other to end bullying.”
On the same day in Da Nang, the ‘For Every Child, Music’ concert will bring together 50 children performing onstage, including children with disabilities, to highlight how music provides opportunities for children to find their talent and to grow their ability to express themselves in different ways.
UNICEF Vietnam and SM Entertainment are working together on a three-year project named ‘Growing with Music’ to promote music education for early childhood education and at other levels of education.
“Bullying in schools undermines children’s confidence, their self-esteem, their education, their long-term mental health – and where we fail to stop bullying, we condone violence and we fail to give children the negotiation and conflict resolution skills that are so important for their future,” said Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative to Vietnam.
“And sadly, in this connected online, social media busy world, bullying has moved from the playground to an ever-present threat, following the victim into their home, into safe spaces – leaving children under attack feeling incredibly isolated and alone.
“With the kick-off of the ‘Stop Bullying’ campaign, UNICEF seeks to hold schools accountable for creating a zero tolerance to violence approach, where we encourage all children to stand together, to spread kindness not abuse, to take actions that promote support and caring in their schools.”
Other Vietnamese celebrities and influencers will also lend their voice to the campaign.
Highlights of Siwon’s visit to Da Nang as well as exclusive interviews with the celebrities will be available on UNICEF Vietnam’s social media accounts.
Worldwide, some 150 million students, half of all students 13 to 15 years of age, report having experienced peer-to-peer violence in and around schools.
In a recent U-Report survey on violence in schools in Vietnam, 38 percent of the child respondents said they witnessed bullying in the past 12 months.
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