Future Leaders Initiative SL

Future Leaders Initiative SL

Date: 17th January
Venue: Headquarters Area
Schools Invited: 10
Target Participants:150
Actual Participants: School children, teachers, community youth leaders, and education stakeholders

Background

Future Leaders Initiative SL successfully conducted its second No Hit Zone Workshop as part of its ongoing efforts to end violence against children and promote dignity, safety, and nonviolent discipline in schools and communities.

The workshop brought together school children, teachers, community youth leaders, and education stakeholders to strengthen understanding of children’s rights, responsibilities, and safeguarding, while encouraging practical, nonviolent approaches to discipline.

The workshop was structured into two sessions:

Morning session for school children

Afternoon session for teachers and education stakeholders

Session One: School Children

Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

This session was facilitated by Saffiatu Barrie, Head of the Children2Chimdren (C2C) Program.

The discussion focused on children’s rights and responsibilities, emphasizing dignity, respect, and positive relationships among children. The session was highly interactive, with pupils actively participating through questions, responses, and shared experiences.

Key messages included:

Children must respect each other’s rights

Children have responsibilities alongside their rights
Dignity must be upheld at all times, by children and adults alike

This session reinforced a core No Hit Zone message consistently shared across previous engagements:

protecting children’s dignity is everyone’s responsibility, not only children’s.

A total of 75 school children received booklets titled “The Right to Be Me – A Little Book About BIG RIGHTS”, prepared by Future Leaders Initiative SL.

The children also had a virtual interaction with Lucien, which motivated them and strengthened their understanding of nonviolence and child dignity.

Session Two: Teachers & Education Stakeholders

Time: 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

The afternoon session brought together teachers, school leaders, and community stakeholders to discuss policy, discipline, child safeguarding, and accountability.

Presentation by Mr. Paul

SQAO Supervisor

Mr. Paul presented on five key government education policies, placing strong emphasis on the
Comprehensive School Safety Policy, which clearly states that every school must be a safe environment for children.

A major highlight of his presentation was the clear distinction between punishment and discipline, which teachers often confuse:

Punishment: Inflicts harm and causes negative physical, emotional, and social effects on children

Discipline: Guides children to learn from mistakes and grow without harm

He shared nonviolent alternatives to corporal punishment, including:

Giving additional learning time
Assigning simple responsibilities
Encouraging reflection and practical correction

Creating and maintaining a positive learning environment

Observing children closely to understand behavior

Teachers openly admitted that children are often beaten for late coming, which sparked deep reflection.

Mr. Paul also raised serious concerns about drug abuse among school children, noting that:

Some food sellers within school environments sell harmful substances

Drug use contributes to aggressive and disruptive behavior

Teachers must be observant and proactive in identifying such issues

He stressed that corporal punishment contributes to social violence, is harmful to children, and has long-term negative effects.

To emphasize the urgency of safeguarding policies, he shared a painful personal experience:

When he was a school pupil, a teacher flogged a boy severely, and a week later the boy died.

This example strongly reinforced why child safeguarding policies are critical in all schools.

Participant Reflections & Open Discussion

During the open discussion, several important issues were raised.

Mr. Bangura, a participant, emphasized that:

If we do not monitor schools and put systems in place to check how schools operate, we will not succeed.

Another participant raised concern over the double standards around corporal punishment, questioning why:

Beating children in formal schools raises public concern and government opposition

Yet in some Quranic and Arabic learning centers**, children return home with scars and pain from severe beatings

He noted that some scholars justify this violence by falsely claiming that the Holy Quran was revealed with a cane, with little public challenge.

A female Muslim participant strongly responded, clarifying that:

Anyone who says the Holy Quran was brought with a cane is not speaking the truth. I studied Islam and learned none of that. It is not in the Quran. This violence is a harmful norm normalized by people who do not fully understand Islam and its teachings.

Her contribution helped clearly establish that violence is cultural, not religious, and must not be justified in the name of faith.

Teachers’ Experiences

Mrs. Vandi, a primary school head teacher, shared challenges around parental neglect, including parents not attending meetings and pupils returning late after school breaks. She explained how this weakens discipline and affects learning outcomes.

A female teacher shared that her school sends pupils home for repeated lateness in line with school policy. She raised concerns that schools are now competing for population rather than quality. She was encouraged to maintain integrity, noting that parents who value discipline and responsibility will keep their children in well-managed schools.

Closing Remarks

Mr. Bangura – Port Loko District Council, Lungi

Mr. Bangura emphasized that schools must align with government policies and not work against them.

Drawing from his experience as a former school supervisor, he noted that:

Teachers sometimes undermine policies themselves
Some teachers take exams for pupils, which is wrong

Corporal punishment was encouraged in the past, but the government is now clearly against it

He stressed that:

What is bad is bad.

Final Presentation

Ibrahim S. Bangura – Founder & CEO, Future Leaders Initiative SL

The workshop concluded with a powerful presentation by the CEO, who explained the four core principles of the No Hit Zone:

1. No child should hit another child
2. No child should hit any adult
3. No adult should hit a child
4. No adult should hit another adult

He emphasized that the No Hit Zone is committed to creating safe and supportive environments and promoting positive, nonviolent discipline for both children and adults.

He presented the Theory of Change and the Children’s Rights and Dignity Tree, stating:

If children, parents, and teachers understand child rights and dignity,

if schools adopt nonviolent policies and practices,

and if communities embrace positive discipline,

then violence against children will reduce, leading to safer schools, better learning, and stronger homes.

He asked participants where they would rather be between peace and violence, and when all chose peace, he reminded them:

That place starts with how we treat children today.

He added:

Children are small villages that can grow into big towns and cities if invested in and protected.

Challenging teachers directly, he asked:

Who should display the best behavior, a trained adult or a child who came to learn?

When participants answered teachers, the room paused in deep reflection.

Key Outcomes & Emerging Priorities

The workshop revealed many lessons, but three critical priorities clearly emerged:

1. Child Protection Policies for Quranic Learning Centers

The Muslim community in Sierra Leone must develop and enforce child protection and safeguarding policies for all Quranic scholars and learning centers to protect children’s rights and dignity at all times.

2. Establishment of a Child Protection Task Force

A dedicated task force is needed to monitor schools and learning centers, ensure policy implementation, and hold institutions accountable. Future Leaders Initiative SL is continuing advocacy with the Government of Sierra Leone on this.

3. Mandatory Safeguarding Policies for All Schools

All schools, whether private or government-assisted, must have comprehensive child safeguarding policies, as corporal punishment is harmful, fuels social violence, and puts children’s lives at risk.

Key Questions Raised by Teachers

What should be done if a child is taking drugs without the knowledge of the teacher or head teacher?

If a child takes drugs at home and reacts violently in school, what measures should be taken?

How should a teacher respond when a child verbally abuses a teacher?

What is the clear difference between punishment and discipline?

What steps should be taken if a child is constantly taking drugs?

What mechanisms should schools use to properly engage parents?

What should be done if the child’s parents are the ones selling drugs?

Hip hip hooray! 🎉

On behalf of all of us at www.weareflisl.org, we want to take this precious moment to wish a very special, kind, honest, hardworking, and wonderfully soulful individual, our dearest , a happy, happy birthday! 💖

Salamatu Kamara has been instrumental at FLISL, working collaboratively with other young people at the C2C computer lab. She has dedicated herself to tutoring children in basic computer skills and ensuring that every child has an equal opportunity to learn. She is also our gender desk person.

Here's to many more years of impact and success!
Salamatu Kamara
Idriss Manica Sesay