Bullying has taken over the headlines lately after the recent suicide of Amanda Todd in British Columbia. But there are many more cases that go unreported, with the rate of suicide among Native youths six times the rate of non-Aboriginal youth.
Sadly, with the advent of social media and cellphones, bullying is no longer confined to the schoolyard but torments the child even in a formerly a safe haven: the family home.
Since 2006, BullyingCanada has been working to provide support for youth going through this terrible experience. Their main goal is to ensure that the problem is addressed as fast as possible by being the middle person between the families and school administration.
The organization has been volunteer driven since its founding. Their 24/7 toll-free hotline provides direct support, receiving 10,000 calls monthly along with 5,000 appeals made on their website.
Being a non-profit charity that doesn’t receive funding from the federal government or United Way, BullyingCanada relies solely on public and corporate donations. The charity is facing the drastic measure of cutting some of their capacity to serve youth in November if they don’t secure enough funding.
For more info: www.BullyingCanada.ca/org
