Though some consider gossip a normal fact of life, two sisters have become advocates to free communities from it, particularly where gossip can do the worst damage, in schools.
Anisa and Saba Hajizadeh of Ajax, Ontario have grown up participating in programs to establish schools that are free of harmful gossip, bullying, discrimination, and marginalization of students.
Sadly, the sisters and their schoolmates found the programs had little effect. They continued to see hurtful rumours and bullying behaviour among their peers no matter how hard their teachers tried to stop it.
While educators have attempted to stigmatize the belittling of others in schools, through gossip and bullying, messages in the popular media often seem to justify the use of hurtful language to denigrate others in the name of entertainment. The messages are not only aimed at youth but teach them to see such behaviour as normal.
“It is unfortunate but true that adolescents are highly prone to gossip and spreading of rumors and are consequently most affected by it,” said Saba. “It is a destructive force in the lives of young people.”
Instead of being disheartened, Anisa and Saba felt that a difference could be made by beginning at the grass-roots level. The girls felt the movement had to come from their adolescent peers if real and sustainable progress could be made. All they needed were the resources to start it.
In June of 2011, their opportunity arrived. The sisters read an ad in their local newspaper inviting the public to enter a contest for project ideas that would make a positive impact in the community. Sponsored by the Take the Lead Coalition of Ajax, the winners would receive funding for promotional materials and summits to spread their project, along with two mentors to help guide the project for its success. The girls made their proposal for “Gossip Free Zones”, the Take the Lead Coalition loved it, and the sisters have since been busy with school summits, presentations to the school board, promotional materials, and media interviews ever since.
Given that the project’s reality is a dream come true, however, the girls aren’t complaining about all the work.
“We are constantly approached by various media sources, schools, teachers, parents and students who are eager to start the program. We are also encouraging the expansion of the program by making delegations to various community organizations such as the Town of Ajax and Durham District School Board,” says Saba.
Instead of using an authoritative approach to eliminating gossip in the “don’t do this” tone that has flavoured anti-bullying drives in the past, the Gossip Free Zone initiative aims to encourage and educate youth to use language positively. A student liaison or club at a school uses “How to Kits” developed by the girls for workshops with the greater school population. Posters included in the kits are displayed around the school declaring it a Gossip Free Zone, reminding everyone what the school’s youth, as a whole, are aiming to accomplish.
As encouraging as the initial reception to their idea has been, Anisa and Saba have still faced some detractors along the way.
“The project was well received by our friends, teachers and community, but there were a few skeptics that challenged its effectiveness,” says Anisa. “For instance, one teacher responded by saying that it was a terrible idea and that it would be impossible to stop gossip.”
Anisa and Saba maintain they’re not naive about how deeply engrained gossip is in our society. “From the beginning we have made it clear that our objective was never to stamp out gossip altogether; we realize how invested we all are in this behavior.”
“Gossip Free Zones is an awareness campaign, a social action program. Our intention has been to raise levels of consciousness, that words are powerful and should be used with caution and compassion, and to draw attention to the destructive force that hurtful words play in our lives, especially among adolescents. Overall, though, we have been pleasantly surprised by how well everyone responded to it.”
When asked how the girls see the Gossip Free Zones initiative continuing after they graduate from high school, the sisters hope the Durham District School Board will maintain the program and the sense of ownership felt by the students of Durham schools. As for Anisa and Saba, they will continue to promote the idea of socializing without gossip in their future, too.
“It is our intention to take it to our post secondary and eventually professional lives. It is an initiative that is in its early stages and we hope for it to develop and become more complete and elaborate in the years to come.”