Students from North Battleford Comprehensive High School, Sakewew High School and John Paul II Collegiate will be participating in Red Cross Day of Pink, a province-wide day to raise awareness about bullying, being held on April 10.
Active leaders at these three schools have also been voluntary participants in a program that has inspired their commitment to work to prevent bullying in their schools and communities.
Fifteen youth from the three school divisions (public, Catholic, and First Nations) came together at North Battleford Comprehensive High School with three adult advisors and a Canadian Red Cross Respect Education trainer to learn how to prevent bullying.
Wendy MacDonald, project co-ordinator for the Red Cross, commented, "We haven't ever brought three school divisions together like this before ... this is a fantastic opportunity. We are so excited to see what these youth will do when they work together and have the opportunity to use their power for the positive."
The youth participated in a two-day training to become youth facilitators of the Red Cross Beyond the Hurt bullying prevention program. They are provided with all the information, resources and practice they need to go out and deliver bullying prevention presentations to their peers.
"This is by far the most effective way to reach youth with this anti-bullying message - by having youth talk to other youth," says MacDonald.
The training was possible thanks to financial support from the RBC Foundation. Battlefords Royal Bank branch manager Thomas Sullivan brought greetings to the youth from RBC and presented them with Royal Bank water bottles and pins.
"We at RBC are so proud of our partnership with Canadian Red Cross and the Beyond the Hurt bullying prevention program. We believe in the power of youth in making meaningful change within our local communities. The commitment these inspiring youth have made today and the message they will champion in the days to come will help make our communities a healthier and more vibrant place to live, learn, and play," says Sullivan.
