JASON COLERO
Toronto Argonauts Manager, Community Relations
Jason Colero started as a water boy and now, 25 years later, he’s the heart and soul of Argos’ community outreach programs. The friendly and energetic Manager of Community Relations now educates youth through a myriad of programs he leads throughout the GTA.
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When I launched the Huddle-Up Bullying Prevention Program I asked myself, how many kids are affected by bullying? Studies show that every seven minutes a child is bullied somewhere in the world. Then I asked, what about adults? Many people believe that bullying is simply a ‘stage’ that someone may go through if they are unfortunate. The public perception is that they will get through it and may even be stronger for it. That’s the old way of thinking.
The experiences I recall from my early high school years on the football team are proof of that. It has been 26 years since then, and it seems as though it was yesterday. If I were to say that I have not suffered from self-esteem issues then I’d be lying. When I first shared my story in 2002, after spending the previous year in silence, I never imagined the affect I would have on both youth and adults. In 2005 and 2006 the Huddle-Up program received attention from a lot of our mass media in the GTA, including a story on myself in a major paper and a number of spots on a call-in TV talk show.
After one article about a visit we paid to a local elementary school, one gentleman wrote in to thank us for visiting a school where he was once bullied. He recalled his horrible experience and said that even when he walks past the school now, he is sad that nothing was done.
There was another email I received from a person who attended my old high school. They spoke about how just eight years ago she was bullied so severely that she thought about ending her life. She was so traumatized by the treatment she received that she sought professional help to overcome her anxiety.
One parent, after we hosted a parent information night, came forward to talk to someone about how she was being bullied as an adult in her relationship. Very recently, a teacher at a school was wiping away tears as she listened to our presentation because, she explained, it brought back bad memories – her school days were ruined through a bullying experience.
Whether it’s adults recalling their bullying experiences, or talking about being verbally, physically and emotionally abused now, bullying is not a fad or something that will pass. Bullying is a problem – one that will not go away. We, as a society, need to realize that people have to be aware that it’s not just a schoolyard issue but a problem that can be linked to current criminal behaviour that adults are a part of.
As we enter our tenth year of the Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program, I hold mixed emotions. I’m happy that we have sent our message to almost 300,000 students but sad that we will continue to have to spread our message. Our hope is that, as bystanders, students will not simply walk around someone who has been bullied or simply photograph them as they lay in pain.
Ten years ago, Huddle Up started with a question about our youth. Ten years later, I ask this question of those responsible for our youth: What will it take for us, as adults, to start to show youth the right examples and to help them toward a better future? Think about it.
Please take the time to write in and express your feelings about bullying. If you are up to it, I encourage you to share your past and present experiences about bullying or bullying prevention. You can e-mail me at jcolero@argonauts.ca.
Until the next blog…
“Make your passion your Life.”
– Jason