00:00It made me lose a sense of safety and part of my identity.
00:06It was dehumanizing.
00:09Let me just take a quick minute.
00:12Trevor is revisiting a painful chapter from his past.
00:16Like nearly 86% of Kenyan students, he was bullied during his first year of high school.
00:21His experience was severe.
00:23With the help of experts, Trevor has agreed to revisit this experience
00:26to understand bullying's causes and impacts.
00:29A student will be sent to me after they've experienced bullying.
00:32And the first thing I do is try and just make it very safe for them.
00:36And then we actually discuss what bullying is about.
00:39Trevor's first experience with bullying began at a public boys boarding high school during his first year.
00:44There, older pupils, including prefects, were allowed to punish younger ones.
00:49For example, if my bed is not made quite straight, they're like,
00:52this is the reason for you to be whipped, so I get whipped.
00:55Pupils call this monolization.
00:57It's a hazing ritual in many Kenyan high schools where students in their last year of high school bully those in their first year.
01:04Leila Guiyo says this creates a vicious cycle.
01:07This pattern of abuse can lead to serious emotional and physical harm.
01:12I remember one instance. I'm fresh out of the shower, preparing to go for dinner.
01:18And so I have my towel wrapped up around me.
01:20And one of them tells me to climb up my bed because I used to sleep on the top bunker.
01:24Tells me to hang on top of the ceiling because it was an open ceiling.
01:30And then he gives me some context. He's like, I know you've watched action movies, right?
01:35Every time I shoot you, fall down in slow motion. We're going to do this as many times as we can until you get the right shot.
01:41I did that, God knows how many times I ended up bruising my ankle.
01:46That was one of those experiences that caused a tipping point for me.
01:50When somebody experiences any form of stomach, what adolescents do is that they dissociate.
01:56Dissociating is, in simple terms, is you just lock it out in your mind.
02:01When that happens, usually in the most uneventful moments, then the effects will be seen.
02:09For Trevor, this happened after he transferred to a private day school that he enjoyed.
02:14One day he blanked out and woke up in hospital.
02:17I see my mom and my family around me and I'm like, what's going on?
02:20They tell me, you started eating chalk. That's when I first was diagnosed with PTSD.
02:26Studies show up to 37% of bullying victims may experience post-traumatic stress disorder.
02:32In 2013, Kenya banned bullying in schools, but it hasn't disappeared.
02:37It's not just a social problem, it is a public health problem, it's a mental health problem.
02:42Dr. Agri Mokhaya's research found that nearly 94% of depressed children had experienced bullying,
02:48with bullying significantly increasing the likelihood of depression.
02:52We have more mental health services, but it's not enough.
02:56We don't have enough psychiatrists, we don't have enough psychologists.
03:00Trevor was lucky to have support outside of school.
03:03His parents put him in therapy and he took up writing to cope.
03:06Writing became my anchor. It was one avenue that I needed not to mask the pain.
03:13I could actually be able to process what I was going through and what I was feeling.
03:18Today, Trevor thrives at work, life and has a happy dog named Max.
03:23He's moved forward, but still reaches back to help others.
03:27I wanted to create an enabling environment for kids who have gone through traumatic experiences
03:34to realise that what you're going through is not right. It's not your fault.
03:40So Trevor launched the Anti-Bullying and Rape Initiative.
03:43He stages interventions in schools, speaking directly to students about bullying.
03:48It's such a thrill and it's such a joy for me to see and experience what I didn't have through these kids.
03:55Trevor is still working to bring his program to more schools.
03:59Some hesitate, afraid of being seen as having a problem.
04:03But he's determined to fulfill his mission and makes sure his message is heard.
04:10Thanks to Peter.
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