A group of Port Moody secondary students is bringing the inspiring message "It Gets Better" to teens who may feel isolated, bullied and alone.
On Thursday, members of the the school's Gay Straight Alliance will be wearing purple and asking their fellow students to be an ally against bullying. They'll be handing out purple hearts with phrases such as "We Are All Worthwhile" and asking teens to wear them.
"We are trying to raise awareness for other people to be more accepting," said Harley Roy, a Grade 12 student.
This is the third year the students have put on anti-bullying campaign at PMSS and students say it was inspired by the "It Gets Better" message of politician Joel Burns, himself gay, who wanted to stop gay students from killing themselves after an epidemic of teen suicides in the U.S.
Burns went on to develop a website with supports for teens and a strong anti-bullying message and the PMSS students say Youtube video is particularly relevant following the death of Port Coquitlam teen Amanda Todd.
By encouraging people to be more compassionate and accepting and more courageous in confronting bullying, the Gay Straight Alliance hopes to support all teens, including gay, lesbian and transgendered students, the students said.
"This information (we're promoting) is the same thing - it's to stop bullying," said Tiffany Yang, a Grade 11 student.
The students gathered at lunch to talk to The News about their experiences at school and they say PMSS has been a tolerant and accepting place to be a student. But they want their message to reach isolated teens who may feel life isn't worth living. "People don't realize they have 60 years left to make things better," said Sarah Walker, Grade 10.
In his video, Joel Burns talks about the despair he felt when he was beat up by older students who saw something on the "outside" of what he was starting to feel "inside." He made a choice to be strong and as a result, has a lifetime of happy memories, including the love and acceptance of his parents, career success and marriage to his husband.
The students say Burns' "It Gets Better" message needs to get to more kids and they hope that by putting posters up, wearing purple and building allies at school, that message will sustain others.
Those who do the bullying also need compassion because they come from a dark place, said Jenny Kim. Bullies must see the consequences of their actions; but attacking or punishing them "will only make things worse," she said.
Bullying needs to stop, the students say, but struggling young people need to believe that life is worth living. "Try to gain some perspective," said Grade 9 student Kisa Lumitao. "They don't realize they have the power to change."
AMANDA TRUST FUND
Meanwhile, School District 43 has confirmed that a trust fund has been set up to support youth mental health, cyber-bullying education and a scholarship fund for students with learning disabilities (with a focus on singing and or/technology). Donations can be made to any RBC Canada under the name of Amanda Michelle Todd Trust Fund.
There is no word on a funeral or public service for Todd, according to spokesperson Cheryl Quinton.
