WORKSHOP ON PEER PRESSURE

MAY 10, 2021

Peer pressure and bullying are key challenges that the teens all across the world encounter daily in their lives. It becomes imperative that pre-teens and teenagers are taught how to handle and overcome peer pressure if it becomes a negative influence in their lives. For this reason, an interactive learning workshop ‘ACT SMART’ was held for the students of Grades VI-XII by Collingwood Learning, a U.K based agency.

At the very outset of this session, Ms. Rashi Saboo and  Mr. Abhishek Tyagi, the resource persons showed a short video about three friends, Manan, Gargi and Parth and asked the attendees to share their opinion about each friend. After this, through more videos and live examples, the resource persons elicited responses from the students about what they understand from the term and concept of peer pressure, is it always negative, do they encounter it in their lives and how do they make an attempt to withstand it. 

An important and serious component was added to the workshop when the students discussed the influence of drugs and alcohol in the lives of teenagers. The Goenkan students revealed their maturity when they quickly opined that in such situations, there is the need to say a ‘Strong No’ and a ‘Feeble No’ to peers who try to mislead one. The disruptive influence of negative peer pressure and wrong company was threshed out threadbare in the animated interactions that laced the workshop.

Guideposts on how to navigate the hurdles of peer pressure especially during digital times were given by the resource person. The students enjoyed the session and shared their inputs and opinions freely and candidly with the resource persons.