"Everybody who showed up showed up for a reason," says one of the organizers of a bullying awareness event on the weekend.
It was called "Bully Free Battlefords" and it was held Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Don Ross Centre, kicking off Bullying Awareness Week.
Co-chair Amanda Maunula says about 500 people attended the event designed to bring people together in a positive atmosphere to educate themselves on the topic of bullying.
Maunula feels positive the information those who attended took away will be useful to them and will be shared with others who need it.
The organizing committee, which she describes as "amazing," is proud of how many people attended, she said. The message of the committee, made up of Maunula and co-chair Warne Noyce, Paula Moon, Krista Krockett, Amber Kotzer and Alexis Christensen, was "You are someone and you do matter."
The opening remarks included messages from Battleford's mayor, Derek Mahon, and deputy mayor for the city, Ryan Bater, as well as MLA Herb Cox and Legislative Secretary Jennifer Campeau, who was appointed by the provincial government to tour the province for feedback on the issue of bullying.
Sunday's North Battleford event ties in with the release of recommendations as a result of Campeau's consultations, which began in North Battleford in June.
Campeau said, "Bullying can be difficult to define, but any time a person or group uses power or aggression to control or intentionally hurt or harm another person or group, that's bullying. It can be based on appearance, ability, culture, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. It can be physical, emotional, psychological or social. It can be in person or online, and no matter what it's not acceptable and it's my hope this report will help address this issue."
Campeau also said a special thank you to Kim Loik, mother of 15-year-old Todd Loik who took his life earlier this year as a result of cyber-bullying, for attending the event.
"Thank you for making that trek from Edmonton," said Campeau.
Speakers at the event included retired Saskatoon Police Department sergeant Brian Trainor, Regina hip hop artist Unkle Adams, Pink Shirt Day co-founder Travis Price and local teacher Alexis Christenson. Trainor and Price also spoke to local students the next day.
Trainor told Sunday's gathering, "I was a cop in Saskatoon for 27 years, and in 27 years I dealt with more bullying, abuse and harassment than most people see in a lifetime."
He speaks about 40 times a month on topics ranging from Internet scams and identity theft to cyber-bullying, social networking safety and workplace harassment.
"Give me a holler, I'd love to speak at your school."
Addressing the provincial action plan just released, he said, "I love it, I think it's a great program, I think it's a great beginning."
Unkle Adams presented his music video, I Am Stronger, which has become an anti-bullying anthem with the message, "I am smarter, I am stronger, I will take it … no longer. I have feelings, I'm a person, I will live life with purpose!" (It can be seen on YouTube and downloaded from Unkle Adams' website.)
At Sunday's event, there were also musical performances by Bruin, The Combine Pilots, Eiffel Tower and Freddie and the Axemen and a video message from country singer Donny Parenteau, who is touring Saskatchewan during Bullying Awareness Week, including a presentation at Battleford Central School Tuesday. (His newly released anti-bullying song, Imagine A World, recorded with singer Michele Dubois, is available for download at his website and can be seen on YouTube.)
Information was available from a variety of agencies and organizations, including, I Am Stronger Campaign, Battlefords Concern for Youth, Northwest Regional College, Battlefords Early Childhood Community Planning Network, Battlefords and Area Sexual Assault Centre, Prairie North Regional Health Authority Mental Health and Child and Youth Services, Catholic Family Services, North Battleford Fire Department, Battlefords HUB, Re/Max of the Battlefords, Battlefords RCMP, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Battlefords, Battlefords North Stars, Canadian Red Cross, Connaught School, North Battleford Comprehensive High School Be The Change, John Paul II Collegiate Be The Change and Mission and Sakewew Gay Straight Alliance.
Organizers say the event was created because the Battlefords has acknowledged an issue with bullying, not only in schools, but throughout the community.
"It started out as a conversation on Facebook," says Maunula.
It was on Facebook, she says, that she saw how many people were affected by bullying, with comments by children and adults saying they didn't know what to do. Others were seeing the same thing. Getting something started was her co-chair's idea, she says. They got together with the schools and brought some volunteers on board and started a Facebook group. It grew from there to the awareness event that took place Sunday.
Cyber-bullying has been blamed for teen suicides in more than one community across Canada, including the Battlefords, and schools with digital citizenship programs contain components that address this growing issue.
Light of Christ Catholic School Division is initiating a digital citizenship program that permeates throughout the Grade 8 curriculum, says Marie Graw, learning co-ordinator.
It ties in perfectly with the outcomes based curriculum, she says.
"It's quite exciting."
Grade 8 teachers, MJ Rohs, Andrea Sparrow, Anne Crozier, Roxanne Anthony, Roxanne Brandle and intern Monica Hagel, with the expertise of digital learning consultant Ramona Stillar, are working together to underline responsible digital citizenship, including online safety, among students.
It was initiated by Rohs, says Graw, and is evolving as it goes. The group plans to present it to other teachers and perhaps even the Ministry of Education.
Living Sky School Division, the community's public school division, has a digital citizenship continuum in place that is currently being revised to bring it up to date with today's fast changing technology, especially mobile devices.
Donna DesRoches, learning resources consultant, says the program is about behaviour online, including the importance of establishing a good footprint online, online ethics, respecting creative rights, the responsibility of parents regarding their children's online activity, and, of course, online safety.
The continuum is delivered at the school level by classroom teachers and is also presented to parents at events such as School Community Council workshops, says DesRoches.
