Jason Colero – Director, Education Programs
Toronto – It’s not every day that you go to an assembly to motivate a group of students and leave the school inspired yourself. When it happens, it needs to be talked about.
This was exactly the case when on March 11th when Chad Owens and I spoke at T.L. Kennedy Secondary School in Mississauga as part of our Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program, presented by Tim Hortons. Every assembly features a presentation by the school’s Huddle Up Student Committee (HUSC). Committees are comprised of pre-selected students as well as testimony and positive messages from Argos player and staff on bullying and prevention thereof.
I don’t want to take away from the work of other HUSC’s since it’s always special to see how the students value the importance of addressing the issue directly. Their efforts and ability to reach their peers is always impressive to the player attending the presentation. HUSC members from T.L. Kennedy added a speech from one of their fellow students to ensure it had an effect on the student body. It not only impacted them but left me, Chad and Paula (Argos Cheerleader) speechless.
It came from a young girl in Grade 12. Her name was Biravina. She was born in Sri Lanka in 1996 and came to Canada at just 10 months old with her mother. Her father chose to not be part of their lives and it was only her and her mother taking on tghe uphill battles she would go on to face. When she was younger, she was constantly sick and later discovered that it was due to a very poor immune system. At just 5 years old, she was the recipient of a bone marrow transplant which would slowly improve her immune system but at the cost of enduring many side effects. The donor blood waged a battle with her body and to prevent white blood cells from multiplying she had to undergo chemotherapy. The side effects of her transplant and treatment caused her skin to discolour and, at times, fall off. Her hair also turned white. She spent a long time in bed recovering. This was all before the age of 10. When she was 9 years old her complications took a dramatic turn and, clinically, she died. Doctors tried to revive her for a period of time and when they had given up all hope, she didn’t. As they began to unhook the machines she fought back and survived. She was in and out of hospitals and missed kindergarten to grade 4. She started school in Grade 6 and when a lot of kids hated it, Birvina loved it. Things seemed to look brighter and school provided her a safe place and kindness from teachers. It was when she enrolled in middle school, she explained, that others started to judge her and misunderstand her. She began to be alienated and excluded. She explained that it was one true friend that helped her situation by speaking to the vice-principal. Her friend stood up for her when others gave up.
Then the courage of Birvina really surfaced. She spoke publicly to her schoolmates about her experiences of being bullied while at high school. When she had hoped that the worst was behind her, she was wrong. Birvina was now without that true friend and instead surrounded by cyberbullying and mean comments about her. She pushed through, despite the hurt, and knew she had to finish what she had started – an education.
She’s a senior now and she chooses to surround herself with positivity. She explains that despite what is said or directed toward her she walks the halls with her head held high ready to take on the next step of her journey.
When I chatted with her a little while back she said, “Programs like Huddle Up are really important to students that have been through bullying or that are currently going through it.”
She continued, “They not only teach students not to bully because it hurts, but also teach those who are bullied ways to get through it and why it is worth fighting that adversity.”
Birvina then thanked me and told me to pass the thank you on to Chad for doing what we do.
But I want to take a moment to thank her for giving us another reason to care about what we do, and to continue to do what we do.
There are a lot of people like Birvina who need positive energy around them to get through their own adversity. It’s not about asking people to fight their battle for them, but rather be there to be the confidence they need knowing that people do care.
Make your passion your life and no one can take that away.
Jason