THUNDER BAY – It has been a month since Amanda Todd, a British Columbia teenager committed suicide. The Province of British Columbia has hosted a forum ERASE toward elimination of bullying. More than 130 students, anti-bullying experts, and key stakeholders came together at Premier Christy Clark’s ERASE Bullying Summit to identify key priorities and actions that will help school, communities and individuals work together to combat bullying.
However Amanda Todd’s mother was reportedly not allowed to attend the anti-bullying forum.
“The summit brought together a wide range of participants who were in agreement: stopping bullying requires a culture change in our schools, homes and communities,” said Premier Clark. “Community agencies, parents, educators, and students all need to play a role. The commitment coming out of today’s meeting is to build on our momentum and work together to build a culture of kindness, caring and respect where no child has to wake up in the morning and go to school worrying about what will happen to them that day.”
At the ERASE (Expect Respect and A Safe Education) Bullying Summit participants shared their views on how to best deal with bullying and bring about the changes needed to create safe inclusive schools and communities. The audience also heard compelling personal stories from students about the impact bullying has had on their lives.
The British Columbia Government has also unveiled a new website that allows anonymous reporting of bullying incidents. Visit www.reportbullyingbc.edudata.ca
Summit participants also discussed cyberbullying – the newest form of bullying, and how the anonymity of technology has given bullies new weapons like text messaging, chat rooms, and social media outlets to intimidate people.