To keep her son’s memory alive and give purpose to his short existence, one South African has set up an Anti Bullying Club to raise awareness and help those that need it most!
With her annual Chauncey’s Epic Anti Bullying hike, of which the 2018 edition will take place this weekend, Beverley Davids from Mitchell’s Plain and The Hikers Network want to break the taboo around bullying and increase support for victims: Davids’ son was bullied for years, suffering emotionally and physically.
Bullying may be often seen as something that is part of growing up, studies have shown its long-term harmful effects. According to Childline, bullying is one of the top three reasons young people contact them for help and the South African Drug and Anxiety Group (Sadag) says that bullying may lead to suicide.
Davids is no stranger to this. Her son Chauncey was in Grade 7 when the bullying started. His tormentors went beyond teasing. “They sometimes beat him up so badly we had to go to the doctor. This was over and above the emotional trauma,” she says, noting that getting help was impossible. “We knocked on every door. I watched in pain as he suffered and all the doors were shut in front of us. That is why I took him out of school.”
Things improved when Chauncey was in high school but tragedy struck on 29 May 2014 when he died in an experiment gone horribly wrong.
“He used a plastic container, a bottle of deodorant and a cigarette lighter, an experiment he had seen at school. It resulted in an explosion, killing him.”
To keep her son’s memory alive and give purpose to his short existence, Davids set up the Chauncey’s Epic Anti Bullying Club. With limited resources, the NPO is visiting schools, orphanages, churches and youth camps in Cape Town and Durban to raise awareness, protect those who are suffering, and help institutions deal with bullying once and for all.
The club is also organising annual hikes on Table Mountain for survivors, their families, and supporters. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday 27 October. “We will hike from Constantia Nek to Cecelia Forest, and back,” says Davids.
The event is endorsed and supported by The Hikers Network, Cape Town’s largest hiking community. “I had been in contact with them for years and they decided to support us by helping us organise our first hike in 2015. They have been there every year, since,” Davids says.
Anwaaz Bent, president of The Hikers Network, says supporting the initiative – which drew nearly 80 people last year – is a no-brainer.
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The 2018 edition of Chauncey’s Epic Anti Bullying hike takes place on Saturday 27 October 2018 and starts at 7 am with a briefing at the parking at Constantia Nek. After that, hikers will set off for Cecelia Forest.
To register, email Melanie on: [email protected].
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