School bullies to make country proud

In order to terminate this disturbing trend, we must primarily seek to identify the cause of this aggression in our teenage girls, then hastily effect corrective measures.

While some ascribe blame on lack of parental training, others are adamant that those girls themselves were the victims of abuse.

Apart from Olympic preparation, sport and exercise have been associated with a host of psychological benefits. Research shows, however, that as children become adolescents their perceptions of gender roles become more rigid.

Adolescent girls may be more likely than they were as younger children to view sport as a male activity. Research with girls has also highlighted that many girls worry that being physically active would ruin their appearance because it may mean getting sweaty and messing up their make-up and their hair.

Persuasion by parents and guardians of teenage girls should be employed if needs be to get their girls active. The views of psychologists both local and foreign are hereby expressed: “Physical activity leads to higher self-esteem especially among younger adolescent girls and girls who are overweight. “Self-esteem is important for psychological well-being, positive body image, increased self-efficacy and leadership skills, and having self-esteem protects against depression, anxiety, loneliness, aggression problems, and high-risk behaviours like smoking and substance abuse.

“Thus helping our girls to be physically active can help them stay healthy physically, psychologically and emotionally.” The following constitutes the basis on which the psychologists’ professional opinions were formed: “Sport and exercise have been shown to improve functioning in the prefrontal cortex of the brain which is often referred to as the CEO of the brain. This is because the prefrontal cortex is responsible for our executive functions which are cognitive control skills like the ability to focus our attention, be creative and flexible in our thinking, utilise self-control, modulate intense emotions and store and manipulate information in our working memory.

“This means our prefrontal cortex always plays a key role in our ability to problem solve, think in complex and abstract ways and exercise good judgment in challenging situations. The prefrontal cortex is the last area of the brain to mature and therefore is still developing in teenagers.” According to the study, sport not only exercises our bodies but also exercises our executive functions because sport requires sustained attention, working memory and self-discipline. Sport can additionally decrease stress and promote positive mood and social bonding.

It would be to the country’s best interest for Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Darryl Smith and his ministerial team to use sport as the panacea in turning around the lives of those girls who are going along the wrong path.

With professional coaches and trainers on hand and with understanding supporting adults in place to advise our girls as they navigate through their developmental process, these teens would not only make their school teachers proud but their communities as well and the entire country as they transition from school bullies to Olympic champions.

DAVID O’NEAL Chase Village