Age
15
Country of Residence
South Africa
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My project was born from something I kept noticing around me: too many young people are struggling in silence. Bullying, pressure, poor understanding of personal boundaries, and mental-health challenges can affect how teenagers see themselves and how they interact with others. What concerned me most was knowing that these problems can become extremely serious, with some young people even experiencing thoughts of suicide. My “Aha!” moment came when I realised that these issues are connected. A young person who is constantly bullied may lose confidence. Someone who does not understand or respect boundaries may experience unhealthy relationships. Someone struggling emotionally may feel like nobody understands them. I realised that we cannot only react when a problem becomes serious,we need to create awareness and support young people earlier. This inspired me to create a project that opens honest conversations about bullying, suicide prevention, personal boundaries, and the mental and emotional changes that happen during adolescence. I want young people to understand that speaking up is not a weakness, respecting boundaries matters, and asking for help is a strength. What started as an observation became a purpose. The goal is to start small and eventually grow the project and change various people's lives at global/international level/capacity.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
We believe that change starts with one person choosing to speak up. We encourage others to join by making them feel heard, valued and part of the solution. Through school awareness activities, posters, conversations and our Anonymous Ballot, we will give learners opportunities to share their experiences, ideas and concerns safely. We want to create a team of learners who are not afraid to stand against bullying, respect personal boundaries and support others. Instead of simply telling people to join us, we want to inspire them to believe that their voice can make a difference. >“One voice can start a conversation. Many voices can start a movement.” We will encourage learners to become ambassadors who spread our message among their friends and classmates. Our goal is to create a ripple effect: one learner inspires another, and together we create a safer school. Because we don't just want people to hear about our project—we want them to become part of the change. We will also make joining feel exciting, meaningful and inclusive, so learners know that their contribution matters. We can invite them through school events, class visits and fun activities where they can learn, share ideas and connect with others. We will celebrate every learner who chooses to stand up for kindness, respect and safety. No voice is too small, and no action is too little.
How many people are on your team?
2
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
My project is still in its early stages, so I am focused on the impact I can create as we begin. As We are K.I.D.S., we want to reach learners and educators who may be experiencing bullying, violence, disrespect, boundary violations or emotional struggles but are afraid to speak openly. My goal is to create a school environment where people feel safe enough to express their concerns and know that they can seek appropriate support. Our first major activity will be the Anonymous Ballot workshop. Learners and educators will be able to anonymously share concerns through a secure ballot box. These concerns will be reviewed by responsible adults, and general issues can be addressed through awareness discussions without revealing anyone’s identity. Serious concerns will be handled privately by appropriate adults. The impact I hope to create is a stronger culture of respect, dignity, empathy and safety at school. I want learners to understand that their experiences matter and that speaking up for themselves or others can contribute to positive change. To measure our impact, we aim to reach at least 50 learners and educators by 31 October 2026 through our workshops and awareness activities. We will also collect anonymous feedback to understand whether participants feel more comfortable discussing bullying, boundaries and safety. In the future, I hope to develop it into an App.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
We are K.I.D.S. (Knowledge, Inspiration, Dignity & Safety) is a youth-led project focused on creating a safer and more supportive school environment. We address bullying, violence, boundary violations and mental-health challenges by giving learners and educators a safe, anonymous way to express concerns. Through our Anonymous Ballot workshops, awareness activities and trusted adult support, we aim to ensure that every learner feels heard, respected, valued and safe.
Project title
We are K.I.D.S
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
What happens when bullying and disrespect for personal boundaries become normal among learners? Our project focuses on bullying and the way learners’ physical, emotional and personal boundaries are sometimes ignored or disrespected. This can make learners feel unsafe, isolated, embarrassed and afraid to speak up. Bullying can include hurtful words, exclusion, intimidation, spreading rumours and unwanted behaviour. When these experiences continue, they can seriously affect a learner’s emotional and physiological well-being. In some cases, the distress caused by bullying can contribute to self-harm or suicidal thoughts, which is why we believe the problem needs to be addressed early before it gets to that level of harm. This matters to us because school should be a safe environment where every learner is treated with dignity and respect but in our school about 10 childrenhave commited suicide this year due to bullying and distress,which is concerning. Through our project, we want to raise awareness about bullying and boundaries, encourage learners to respect one another, and make it easier for those experiencing bullying to seek support. Our goal is to build a school culture based on respect, safety, empathy and understanding, where no learner feels alone or powerless. We want learners that you can not make yourself feel special by making another feel small and unseen.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next three months, we don’t just want to talk about change,we want to start it. We plan to take our project from an idea to something learners can actually experience. We will launch awareness activities at school, create engaging posters and discussions about bullying, boundaries and mental well-being, and introduce our Anonymous Ballot, giving learners a safe way to share concerns without feeling exposed. We will listen to what learners tell us, identify the issues that need the most attention and work with teachers and other supportive adults to find positive solutions. As the project grows, we want to build a team of learners who believe in the same vision and can help spread the message. Our bigger goal is to develop the Anonymous Ballot into an app one day, making it easier for learners to speak up and access support. We want our project to become more than an awareness campaign,it should become a movement where speaking up is normal, boundaries are respected, bullying is challenged, and every learner knows that their voice matters. Finally, we want to measure our progress by listening to learners and seeing whether our school environment is becoming safer and more supportive. We hope that every person we reach will influence someone else, creating a ripple effect that turns one voice into hundreds of voices. Not just a project but a BARRIER of safety.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes We are K.I.D.S.(Knowledge, Inspiration, Dignity & Safety) different is that it turns a simple idea into a powerful way for learners to have a voice.Anonymous Ballot creates a space where learners and educators can share concerns about bullying, violence, disrespect, boundaries and other problems without having to stand in front of others and explain themselves. Many people may know that problems exist in their school but remain silent because they are afraid of being judged, embarrassed or identified. My project aims to break that silence. By allowing people to share concerns anonymously, I hope to understand what learners are experiencing and use those concerns to create meaningful awareness and positive change. The Anonymous Ballot is also different because it is not designed to blame, shame or punish people. Instead, it focuses on listening, understanding, empathy and accountability. Common concerns can be turned into workshops where learners discuss important topics such as respect, dignity, personal boundaries, bullying, safety and how to seek appropriate support. Serious concerns will be handled privately by responsible adults. Another innovative part of my project is its potential to grow. I do not want the Anonymous Ballot to remain only as a physical box in my school. My long-term vision is to turn it into a safe digital app or website. The app could allow learners to raise concerns anonymously, learn about their rights and boundaries, access helpful information and know where to find appropriate support. This would make the idea easier to access and could allow it to reach young people beyond my school. I also want the project to use feedback from learners to keep improving. Instead of assuming that one solution will work for everyone.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
My main solution is the Anonymous Ballot, which gives learners and educators a safe way to raise concerns about bullying, violence, disrespect, boundaries and emotional well-being without having to identify themselves publicly. A secure ballot box will be placed at school, where learners and educators can anonymously write about problems they have experienced or witnessed. The messages will be reviewed by a responsible adult, such as a teacher, counsellor or appropriate staff member. Serious concerns involving violence, abuse, bullying or someone who may be in danger will be handled privately and referred to the appropriate support. General concerns can be discussed during awareness workshops without revealing anyone’s identity. These workshops will educate learners about respect, dignity, personal boundaries, empathy, responsibility and seeking help. My project is not about blaming or embarrassing people. It is about creating understanding, encouraging accountability and helping people make positive changes. Where appropriate and safe, learners can be guided by trusted adults to take responsibility for their actions and make amends. Nobody will be forced into an uncomfortable confrontation. I will measure the success of my project through participation numbers and anonymous feedback from learners and educators. In the future, I hope to develop We are K.I.D.S. into a safe website or app where people can raise concerns, learn about boundaries and find information about appropriate support. My goal is to start small at my school and eventually create a solution that can help more young people. My solution is We are K.I.D.S. – Knowledge, Inspiration, Dignity & Safety, a youth-led project that aims to make my school a safer and more supportive environment.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Over the next three months, Mongezi and I will work on launching We are K.I.D.S. at our school. We will first speak to teachers and school management, prepare the Anonymous Ballot materials, and organise our first workshop. We will use posters and school announcements to encourage learners and educators to participate. Serious concerns will be handled privately by appropriate trusted adults. We aim to reach at least 50 learners, collect feedback, and improve the project based on feedback.
