At the age of 15, Rahtaeh Parsons, went to a party. Teenagers were there to have fun; but, for Parsons this was a night that changed her life.
While at the party she was allegedly raped by a group of boys who also took a photograph of the act. Allegedly because the RCMP had determined there was insufficient evidence to convict.
The photograph began to circulate throughout her school and the community, which led to harsh cyber-bullying and propositions of sex. Her friends, according to Parsons' mother, turned against her. Though the family moved and Parsons tried to get on with her life it was impossible to get away from the photo and from those bullying her.
On April 4, at the age of 17, Parsons attempted to take her life through hanging, but was left in a coma. Placed on life support the decision for the family to let their daughter go came on April 7.
Parsons' case has sparked serious debate across the country and has led to Nova Scotia advocating a Cyber-Safety Act to be passed in legislature.
Bullying, as can be seen, is a very serious issue, one that students in Carlyle brought attention to on Wednesday, May 1, with a large focus on cyber-bullying. Also addressed were the repercussions of posting online with the fact that once something is sent into cyberspace it cannot be deleted.
Grades nine to 12 first assembled in the G.F. Kells gymnasium for a presentation by Jeff Walters and Grant Taylor on cyber-bullying and the ways the internet can be used. Also, included in the presentation was the importance that anything put onto the internet is there forever. Even if it is deleted from a webpage there is a digital footprint left.
It was also stressed that actions today are easily caught on video or in a photo because nearly everyone carries a camera in their pocket in the form of a cell phone. This action could then be used to bully someone, could prevent one from getting a job or could be proof of criminal activity leading to charges. In essence the message was to watch what you share on the internet or through text message and snap chat because anything sent can be saved.
"We have to assume that anything online is there forever," Walters explained to the students.
Grades five to eight were then welcomed to the gym by Walters and Taylor who presented information regarding online safety and also spoke about cyber-bullying. Approaching how one acts on the internet as Netiquette and to remember to never write anything to someone that they wouldn't say in person.
Following these presentations the RespectEd students including Kyle Sargeant, Bjorn Rekken, Emily Klatt, Katie Matthewson, and Brooke Zacharias explained cyber-bullying, in their own words, to the grades five through 12.
They helped identify those involved in bullying: bullies, victims, and bystanders. In addition to this they addressed what people can do to feel safe and addressed the difference between bullying and friends having an argument.
Overall the students encouraged others to be kind and to stand up against bullying.
"One person and one small action can make a difference in the life of one person or thousand of people's lives," Klatt stated while explaining one person being kind can have a huge impact on those around them.
The students then travelled to the elementary school for lunch and all were present for a short presentation from George Anderson and Cpl. Kelly Guider. Both explained they had been bullied when they were children and that bullying can be something that happens to everybody at any age.
"We might have that feeling of being judged or alone, or question, are my friends the good friends?" Cpl. Guider explained. "But I walked in here and you're all wearing the same shirt, we all have vulnerabilities and don't want to be picked on. We don't want to feel different, so all of us wearing the same shirt shows that we are all the same."
"Our actions as a person have impacts on those around us."
Though Anderson now stands over six feet tall, he explains that he was once little and was the victim of a bully in the schoolyard. Going to the playground, a supposedly fun activity became something he hated to do.
Grateful to Anderson and Guider for telling their stories and encouraging the students to strive for a community free of bullying, the students took part in a parade along Main Street. This was followed by various activities outside where the high school students played and interacted with the elementary students.
"[W]hether you want to be an example or not... It's the little guys that are looking at you, so be a good example," Cpl. Guider stated during his presentation.
Together the students, teachers, and community will strive for another year of improvements to ending bullying and will work towards eradicating the act from their lives.
