THE Penang Goes Orange 2023 (PGO 2023) campaign, spanning 16 days from Nov 25, has garnered tremendous support, especially from the schools and the public, says state executive councillor Lim Siew Khim.
Lim, who is in charge of the state Social Development, Welfare and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs portfolio, said the state government has been organising the PGO campaigns together with Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) on a yearly basis.
Lim explained that the theme for PGO 2023 is ‘Kindness4wellness: Stop Bullying,’ aligning with the initiative of the Malaysian Ministry of Education.
“This yearly campaign also is in line with the international effort in conjunction with the International Orange Day to combat violence against women and children.
“We want to increase public awareness of the bullying culture in schools and seek solutions to eradicate it.
“Thus, through the PGO campaign this year, I am proud to say that we have recorded more than 50,000 students from 119 secondary schools and 13 primary schools in the state to get themselves involved through a series of awareness talks.
“These awareness talks were held in collaboration with our strategic partners such as Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF), Women’s Center for Change (WCC), Dell Technologies, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Sneham Malaysia, Malaysia Hindu Sangam and Wawasan Open University.
“After all, efforts to approach and prevent bullying culture from an early stage in schools can significantly contribute to the positive impact on students’ personality development,” Lim said when she officiated the closing ceremony of the campaign at SMK Bandar Tasek Mutiara, Simpang Ampat on Dec 9.
Also present was PWDC chief executive officer Datuk Ong Bee Leng.
Lim also thanked all those involved in the PGO campaign this year, particularly acknowledging PWDC and its strategic partners and sponsors for their unwavering commitment and dedication.
She emphasised the importance of sustaining the initiative beyond the campaign, expressing hope that everyone should play his or her part to stop bullying.
The event included a talk on bullying intervention by Prof Madya Dr Mohammad Rahim Kamaludin, and was attended by some 200 people, including school principals and PWDC strategic partners.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix courtesy of Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC)