Against a backdrop of purple and blue stage lighting, a 16-year-old high school student walks up a set of stairs and settles in front of a microphone.
As he prepares to share his story of pain and healing, he carries with him a special mark that has been etched into his skin, which the audience can’t see. The tattoo offers strength and power for the teen and he wears it proudly: A semicolon tells Emerson Edwards he is a survivor.
“I was bullied from junior kindergarten through Grade 6, roughly eight years. In JK I wasn’t noticeably bigger than the other children," said Edwards, recalling the moment he became the target of taunts. "We all know how it starts."
The public event at Flamborough Baptist Church Nov. 16 was hosted by members of the Voices Against Bullying group, which got its start on Facebook on the heels of 14-year-old Hamiltonian Devan Bracci-Selvey's stabbing death outside of his school. The event, which focused on the issue of bullying and its impacts, brought people together to hear tales of pain, suffering and ultimately healing.
Edwards, whose story led to tears in the audience, joined his fellow Voices Against Bullying action team members Rev. Ryk Brown, group founder Julie Schaasfma and conflict specialist Kathleen Hilchey in sharing stories and support to others.
It was an opportunity for members to come together and hear first-hand accounts of struggle, but also to gather information to arm themselves and their children with knowledge.
“At Grade 2, the other kids noticed I was bigger than them, the words started to evolve into direct insults about my weight. Fat. Ugly. Pig. It got a lot harder for me to deal with these comments because they had a partial validity to them," said the local teen.
Like Edwards, Brown also faced trauma during his formative years and used his time to speak about power.
“Bullying is all about power,” he said to the audience of about 30. “It’s about somebody taking their own power and imposing it on somebody else in a hurtful way."
As a self-described dork growing up, Brown explained he was not only small but that he excelled in academics, was athletically abysmal, loved Dungeons and Dragons and played the flute.
“With all those things together, you might as well have a target on my back saying ‘Bullies, please kick here.’”
As a student, Brown said teachers did absolutely nothing to help him. "When my bully forced me on the playground to kiss his shoes in front of the rest of the class, the teacher did nothing. When I was tied to the tree with skipping ropes, the teacher came out and yelled at me for inconveniencing him,” he said.
Despite his experiences, Brown shared his hope that things may have gotten better in the school system over the years. His sons, he said, weren't bullied, and schools, as far as he knew, had implemented bullying awareness initiatives.
“In the last few weeks I’ve realized how naïve and sheltered I have been in that perspective, because then Devan happened,” Brown said.
After the Voices Against Bullying Facebook group was formed, members shared post after post of bullying incidents and their devastating impacts on young lives. That's when something clicked, Brown said, and he decided he needed to be a part of the solution.
For conflict specialist Hilchey, Selvey’s death last month unearthed the truth. She explained that she has specialized in bullying for a decade and the Facebook group formed shortly after the teen's death has provided her with “real hope.”
“My heart is so sad and grows so big every day when I go on to the site. Parents and young people are being so courageous and vulnerable,” she said.
Hilchey shared that while bullying creates shame and wears the victim down so they become quiet, the bullies, too, are hurting.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we haven’t actually been able to shift this culture because people are getting quiet.”
Hilchey shared how she and her older brother were targets of bullies in their youth. The cycle only stopped for her brother when he finally had enough.
“I watched my parents try to advocate for him, going to the school, going to board meetings, meetings with the principal, trying to talk with the parents and nothing shifted," she recalled.
Until one day, when her brother "beat up the boy who had been physically bullying him.”
“We know these stories, we’ve got all these super kind kids who end up just finally snapping one day and they lose their minds and sometimes that creates a shift,” she added.
This was the moment where Hilchey found her purpose.
“This kind loving brother of mine did this thing that was out of his character to keep himself safe."
There had to be another way, thought Hilchey, who pursued a career in conflict resolution, working with youth and their families.
Edwards’s torment, meanwhile, continued as he got older.
In Grade 4, the names got worse. He was called a “waste of space,” a “blob” and “trash can” — the last of which stuck with him, slowly stripping away his dignity and self-esteem. In Grade 5, Edwards said he began to self-harm and by Grade 6, it came to a head when one of his bullies threatened to kill him.
“I thought nothing of it, we’re in Grade 6, what’s he going to do?”
“I went home. Another kid went home and told his parents, the parent called the police and the police seized a firearm from the students’ household with ammunition,” he said.
He said he has since struggled with mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
“I attempted suicide,” he said, noting he is now a suicide prevention and mental health advocate.
As for that semicolon tattoo?
It's part of Project Semicolon, a not-for-profit mental health advocacy organization. The punctuation mark represents where the sentence could have ended but that the writer chose to continue it.
“When you put that in a mental health perspective, you chose to continue your life.”
Through each of the speakers sharing their past stories and offering support, tips and encouragement, the VAB group has begun its mission of action, with plans for more community events. To join the group and connect with its members, visit the Voices Against Bullying Facebook page.
For more information on Project Semicolon, visit https://projectsemicolon.com.
Against a backdrop of purple and blue stage lighting, a 16-year-old high school student walks up a set of stairs and settles in front of a microphone.
As he prepares to share his story of pain and healing, he carries with him a special mark that has been etched into his skin, which the audience can’t see. The tattoo offers strength and power for the teen and he wears it proudly: A semicolon tells Emerson Edwards he is a survivor.
“I was bullied from junior kindergarten through Grade 6, roughly eight years. In JK I wasn’t noticeably bigger than the other children," said Edwards, recalling the moment he became the target of taunts. "We all know how it starts."
The public event at Flamborough Baptist Church Nov. 16 was hosted by members of the Voices Against Bullying group, which got its start on Facebook on the heels of 14-year-old Hamiltonian Devan Bracci-Selvey's stabbing death outside of his school. The event, which focused on the issue of bullying and its impacts, brought people together to hear tales of pain, suffering and ultimately healing.
Edwards, whose story led to tears in the audience, joined his fellow Voices Against Bullying action team members Rev. Ryk Brown, group founder Julie Schaasfma and conflict specialist Kathleen Hilchey in sharing stories and support to others.
It was an opportunity for members to come together and hear first-hand accounts of struggle, but also to gather information to arm themselves and their children with knowledge.
“At Grade 2, the other kids noticed I was bigger than them, the words started to evolve into direct insults about my weight. Fat. Ugly. Pig. It got a lot harder for me to deal with these comments because they had a partial validity to them," said the local teen.
Like Edwards, Brown also faced trauma during his formative years and used his time to speak about power.
“Bullying is all about power,” he said to the audience of about 30. “It’s about somebody taking their own power and imposing it on somebody else in a hurtful way."
As a self-described dork growing up, Brown explained he was not only small but that he excelled in academics, was athletically abysmal, loved Dungeons and Dragons and played the flute.
“With all those things together, you might as well have a target on my back saying ‘Bullies, please kick here.’”
As a student, Brown said teachers did absolutely nothing to help him. "When my bully forced me on the playground to kiss his shoes in front of the rest of the class, the teacher did nothing. When I was tied to the tree with skipping ropes, the teacher came out and yelled at me for inconveniencing him,” he said.
Despite his experiences, Brown shared his hope that things may have gotten better in the school system over the years. His sons, he said, weren't bullied, and schools, as far as he knew, had implemented bullying awareness initiatives.
“In the last few weeks I’ve realized how naïve and sheltered I have been in that perspective, because then Devan happened,” Brown said.
After the Voices Against Bullying Facebook group was formed, members shared post after post of bullying incidents and their devastating impacts on young lives. That's when something clicked, Brown said, and he decided he needed to be a part of the solution.
For conflict specialist Hilchey, Selvey’s death last month unearthed the truth. She explained that she has specialized in bullying for a decade and the Facebook group formed shortly after the teen's death has provided her with “real hope.”
“My heart is so sad and grows so big every day when I go on to the site. Parents and young people are being so courageous and vulnerable,” she said.
Hilchey shared that while bullying creates shame and wears the victim down so they become quiet, the bullies, too, are hurting.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we haven’t actually been able to shift this culture because people are getting quiet.”
Hilchey shared how she and her older brother were targets of bullies in their youth. The cycle only stopped for her brother when he finally had enough.
“I watched my parents try to advocate for him, going to the school, going to board meetings, meetings with the principal, trying to talk with the parents and nothing shifted," she recalled.
Until one day, when her brother "beat up the boy who had been physically bullying him.”
“We know these stories, we’ve got all these super kind kids who end up just finally snapping one day and they lose their minds and sometimes that creates a shift,” she added.
This was the moment where Hilchey found her purpose.
“This kind loving brother of mine did this thing that was out of his character to keep himself safe."
There had to be another way, thought Hilchey, who pursued a career in conflict resolution, working with youth and their families.
Edwards’s torment, meanwhile, continued as he got older.
In Grade 4, the names got worse. He was called a “waste of space,” a “blob” and “trash can” — the last of which stuck with him, slowly stripping away his dignity and self-esteem. In Grade 5, Edwards said he began to self-harm and by Grade 6, it came to a head when one of his bullies threatened to kill him.
“I thought nothing of it, we’re in Grade 6, what’s he going to do?”
“I went home. Another kid went home and told his parents, the parent called the police and the police seized a firearm from the students’ household with ammunition,” he said.
He said he has since struggled with mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
“I attempted suicide,” he said, noting he is now a suicide prevention and mental health advocate.
As for that semicolon tattoo?
It's part of Project Semicolon, a not-for-profit mental health advocacy organization. The punctuation mark represents where the sentence could have ended but that the writer chose to continue it.
“When you put that in a mental health perspective, you chose to continue your life.”
Through each of the speakers sharing their past stories and offering support, tips and encouragement, the VAB group has begun its mission of action, with plans for more community events. To join the group and connect with its members, visit the Voices Against Bullying Facebook page.
For more information on Project Semicolon, visit https://projectsemicolon.com.
Against a backdrop of purple and blue stage lighting, a 16-year-old high school student walks up a set of stairs and settles in front of a microphone.
As he prepares to share his story of pain and healing, he carries with him a special mark that has been etched into his skin, which the audience can’t see. The tattoo offers strength and power for the teen and he wears it proudly: A semicolon tells Emerson Edwards he is a survivor.
“I was bullied from junior kindergarten through Grade 6, roughly eight years. In JK I wasn’t noticeably bigger than the other children," said Edwards, recalling the moment he became the target of taunts. "We all know how it starts."
The public event at Flamborough Baptist Church Nov. 16 was hosted by members of the Voices Against Bullying group, which got its start on Facebook on the heels of 14-year-old Hamiltonian Devan Bracci-Selvey's stabbing death outside of his school. The event, which focused on the issue of bullying and its impacts, brought people together to hear tales of pain, suffering and ultimately healing.
Edwards, whose story led to tears in the audience, joined his fellow Voices Against Bullying action team members Rev. Ryk Brown, group founder Julie Schaasfma and conflict specialist Kathleen Hilchey in sharing stories and support to others.
It was an opportunity for members to come together and hear first-hand accounts of struggle, but also to gather information to arm themselves and their children with knowledge.
“At Grade 2, the other kids noticed I was bigger than them, the words started to evolve into direct insults about my weight. Fat. Ugly. Pig. It got a lot harder for me to deal with these comments because they had a partial validity to them," said the local teen.
Like Edwards, Brown also faced trauma during his formative years and used his time to speak about power.
“Bullying is all about power,” he said to the audience of about 30. “It’s about somebody taking their own power and imposing it on somebody else in a hurtful way."
As a self-described dork growing up, Brown explained he was not only small but that he excelled in academics, was athletically abysmal, loved Dungeons and Dragons and played the flute.
“With all those things together, you might as well have a target on my back saying ‘Bullies, please kick here.’”
As a student, Brown said teachers did absolutely nothing to help him. "When my bully forced me on the playground to kiss his shoes in front of the rest of the class, the teacher did nothing. When I was tied to the tree with skipping ropes, the teacher came out and yelled at me for inconveniencing him,” he said.
Despite his experiences, Brown shared his hope that things may have gotten better in the school system over the years. His sons, he said, weren't bullied, and schools, as far as he knew, had implemented bullying awareness initiatives.
“In the last few weeks I’ve realized how naïve and sheltered I have been in that perspective, because then Devan happened,” Brown said.
After the Voices Against Bullying Facebook group was formed, members shared post after post of bullying incidents and their devastating impacts on young lives. That's when something clicked, Brown said, and he decided he needed to be a part of the solution.
For conflict specialist Hilchey, Selvey’s death last month unearthed the truth. She explained that she has specialized in bullying for a decade and the Facebook group formed shortly after the teen's death has provided her with “real hope.”
“My heart is so sad and grows so big every day when I go on to the site. Parents and young people are being so courageous and vulnerable,” she said.
Hilchey shared that while bullying creates shame and wears the victim down so they become quiet, the bullies, too, are hurting.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we haven’t actually been able to shift this culture because people are getting quiet.”
Hilchey shared how she and her older brother were targets of bullies in their youth. The cycle only stopped for her brother when he finally had enough.
“I watched my parents try to advocate for him, going to the school, going to board meetings, meetings with the principal, trying to talk with the parents and nothing shifted," she recalled.
Until one day, when her brother "beat up the boy who had been physically bullying him.”
“We know these stories, we’ve got all these super kind kids who end up just finally snapping one day and they lose their minds and sometimes that creates a shift,” she added.
This was the moment where Hilchey found her purpose.
“This kind loving brother of mine did this thing that was out of his character to keep himself safe."
There had to be another way, thought Hilchey, who pursued a career in conflict resolution, working with youth and their families.
Edwards’s torment, meanwhile, continued as he got older.
In Grade 4, the names got worse. He was called a “waste of space,” a “blob” and “trash can” — the last of which stuck with him, slowly stripping away his dignity and self-esteem. In Grade 5, Edwards said he began to self-harm and by Grade 6, it came to a head when one of his bullies threatened to kill him.
“I thought nothing of it, we’re in Grade 6, what’s he going to do?”
“I went home. Another kid went home and told his parents, the parent called the police and the police seized a firearm from the students’ household with ammunition,” he said.
He said he has since struggled with mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
“I attempted suicide,” he said, noting he is now a suicide prevention and mental health advocate.
As for that semicolon tattoo?
It's part of Project Semicolon, a not-for-profit mental health advocacy organization. The punctuation mark represents where the sentence could have ended but that the writer chose to continue it.
“When you put that in a mental health perspective, you chose to continue your life.”
Through each of the speakers sharing their past stories and offering support, tips and encouragement, the VAB group has begun its mission of action, with plans for more community events. To join the group and connect with its members, visit the Voices Against Bullying Facebook page.
For more information on Project Semicolon, visit https://projectsemicolon.com.