LAST DAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL, ONE LAST SHOUT OUT AGAINST BULLYING

With school ending tomorrow, students give a shout out against racism and bullying

Be it through video, podcasts, or spoken word poetry, a group of Toronto District students have something to shout about what is happening in schools these days: racism, bullying, and violence are real issues for teenagers. The Student Equity Collective is urging the Toronto 

school board to take action, and they made their voices heard yesterday.

Ontario's first Poet Laureate, Randell Adjei

Earlier this week, a group of high school students, who refer to themselves as the Student Equity Collective, along with the Anti-Cyber Bully Collective, took to the stage at the Royal Ontario Museum to speak their truth. Renowned author and community leader, Itah Sadu, acted as the ring leader as students from all over Toronto shared their experiences of life in the city's high schools. It was a unique event, and the realities discussed were often harsh.

Students at the logo wall after the event ends

"Our mission," the teenagers stated, "strives to educate individuals who are being cyberbullied on how to handle these situations in a healthy and appropriate manner."

Over one hundred students, teachers, and school board trustees attended the two-hour event. While much of what the students shared from the stage focused on the problems they face in their schools, there were also words of hope.

Ontario's first Poet Laureate, Randell Adjei, who hails from Scarborough, took the stage to reiterate a message he had shared with the students in previous meetings: "THERE LIES A SEED OF OPPORTUNITY IN EVERY ADVERSITY WE FACE. WE SUFFER TO INSPIRE."

Itah at the podium

The students also had a message about the power of spoken word. "Our words," said one student, "give us the power to fight racism and bullying."