The students at St. Leo Catholic School have been working to stop bullying and on Tuesday they got a couple of tips from the Toronto Argonauts.Jason Colero, manager of the Argos' Huddle Up bullying prevention program, came to the school with Argos players Taylor Robertson and Richard Seigler to share their own experiences with bullying and talk about how to defend against it.
Colero told the students how he was bullied when he was an aspiring football player in high school. When he tried out for his high school team, at four foot eleven inches, the other players ridiculed his attempts and started to play demeaning jokes on him. Their behaviour eventually escalated to threats of physical violence and were it not for the timely intervention of another student it could have become much worse.
The story, although it is "not easy to tell," is an important one for kids to hear, Colero said. He hopes his story will let kids know what unacceptable behaviour is and believes kids should be taught to support each other and report bullying when it happens.
"(In high school) I didn't say anything because I didn't know it was wrong," he told the students.
Colero went on to make his high school team and grew to love the game so much he wanted to work for the Toronto Argos. He called the team asking about work opportunities and started working on the sidelines as a water boy. Twenty-five years later, he manages the Huddle Up program for the Argos foundation and brings his message to schools across Toronto.
"The one thing I realize at the Argonauts is we're one big family," he said. Using the motto "be a friend, support, report, defend," Colero tells students they can find the help and courage they need to stop bullying from their peers and teachers.
Dianne Da Luz, St. Leo's Child and Youth worker, said the students have been engaged in a number of projects to raise awareness about bullying and how to stop it. Three years ago the school began a program that seeks to stop bad behaviour by focusing on the good. Students are reported and "written up" for kindness. Citations documenting their kind acts are displayed on a 'Gotcha for being good' board for all to see. Da Luz said the program has been very effective. At first the effects were small - more doors were held open for people and the halls were a little cleaner, Da Luz said. But kindness has been infectious and the kids are now happy to help their friends, younger students and their teachers whenever they see a chance.
That is just the kind of effect the Argos Foundation wants to see and the message they are spreading. Robertson told the students they should be aware of the consequences of their actions and they should always strive to have a positive impact on the people around them.
It takes 10 seconds to change someone's life," he told the kids. "When it's time to make a choice that can change someone's life I hope you make the right one."
For more information about the Huddle Up program or the Argos Foundation's efforts visit www.stoptheviolence.ca.