OTTAWA, Ontario–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The National Collaboration for Youth Mental Health (NCYMH) says bullying because of race, gender, orientation, someone’s family, someone’s past causes serious mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, low self esteem, isolation and ultimately post traumatic stress order and the Mental Health Charity, NCYMH, launches a Daily Say NO to bullying campaign on April 21, 2021. https://ymhconference.ca
Discrimination of any form is bullying because it isolates, oppresses and dehumanizes a person or a group of people. Racism is Bullying, In this age of cyber bullying, youth are circulating pictures, newspaper articles, lies, gossip and hurting and isolating each other without considering the long term impact and consequences of their actions. Even the act of gossiping and speaking negatively about someone behind their back – if the intent is to isolate the person, rob the person of an opportunity, have that person belittled, ridiculed or viewed negatively – it is bullying. It is robbing that person of their lifeline, their support system, their opportunity to shine, to use their talents, to live their full life, to continue associating with others.
Galia Bronfman, Director of Events said she was bullied as a teenager after her classmates discovered a traumatic event in her teens and it led to years of low self esteem, isolation, anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder. We learn how to bully as teenagers in the school system and we continue bullying as adults in employment, social and workplace situations. NCYMH says NO to bullying.
Maxine Adwella, consultant says, “Educators, parents and employers need to be on the look-out for bullying because the intersectionality between race, bullying and mental health cannot be ignored. This is why BIPOC, LGBTQ2 and students from lower socio-economic environments have not been able to succeed in school and in life to their full potential. The ‘systems’ have not been neutralized for them and there are not anti-racism and anti-bullying policies which support BIPOC, LGBTQ2 & impoverished students – we need to make sure that we eliminate colonization in our minds and perspectives and that historically oppressed people and groups are accepted by their peers, understood by their peers, negative damaging labels, beliefs and stereotypes are removed – so that ALL humans have positive educational experiences and are protected within our public systems.”
Kamala Tiwari says that in addition to launching Say NO to Bullying, the National Collaboration for Youth Mental Health has purchased the rights to the screenplay for “The Vexatious Litigant” which is a satirical comedy – a play and movie about the life of a vexatious litigant, who is really just a self represented person, who cannot afford a lawyer BUT the courts want to deny that person their basic human rights, deny that person access to the courts because they are poor. Many BIPOC, LGBTQ2 and people from lower income families have many injustices committed against them DAILY and they cannot afford a lawyer to protect themselves, their families and their property, The unjust legal systems came up with the “vexatious litigant’ title to block the poor from coming to court and also to insure that their legal colleagues continued to get clients and the rich – who can afford lawyers continue to succeed in life. The label “Vexatious Litigant” is really a title for the exclusion of BIPOC, LGBTQ2 and impoverished people from the court system. The label says ‘you cannot have access to justice, you cannot have access to the court system because you are BIPOC, LGBTQ2 or/and poor’.
NCYMH, the National Collaboration for Youth Mental Health’s anti-bullying play and film “The Vexatious Litigant” will use satirical humor similar to the Oscar winning film “Get Out” and Spike Lee’s film “BlacKkKlansman” to unfold what really is a vexatious litigant, what are the origins of oppression, why are we so colonized that we are accepting the denial and blocking of anyone to the justice system.
The National Collaboration for Youth Mental Health believes that the labeling of anyone as a “vexatious litigant” and the exclusion from justice by labelling someone a vexatious litigant is bullying because it isolates, it oppresses and labels someone unjustly by using that label to degrade, dehumanize and ridicule them. NCYMH advocates that everyone regardless of race, gender, class, orientation and socio-economic standing deserves, requires and must have access to the courts. NCYMH believes that the ‘vexatious litigant’ section of the Rules of Civil Procedure should be struck as a human rights infringement.
Allan Morgan says, “Isolation, differential treatment that denies anyone basic human and fundamental human rights is bullying. When we experienced it at NCYMH in January 2021, as soon as we found out about it we offered the person counselling and reconciliation talks with Elder Annie Smith St George. We have to change people’s beliefs and perceptions therefore NCYMH supports the Anti-racism PR conference taking place right now at www.antiracismpr.ca.”
Galia Bronfman says, “But the thing we want youth and everyone to know is that Bullying is evil and Good will always overcome evil. Bullying isolates so it denies our youth to right to socialization, the freedom of enjoyment of life – to have fun, to have friends, to laugh, to be a part of something important or something that makes them feel good. NCYMH is a place of integrity and we will always have Zero tolerance for bullying. NCYMH is now going to address bullying in a very impactful and thought provoking way on April 21, 2021. We are going to expose the colonization, the oppression and the discrimination behind bullying.”
Maxine Adwella said, “The Say NO to Bullying is huge because there are so many important dimensions to bullying – the first part is, who is bullying is in pain and how do we help them with their pain, help them work through their pain, the colonization that makes them think abuse of power and bullying is okay. But the pain and consistent attempt to degrade and cause harm to the person being bullied must be the overriding concern. The second and most immediate part is how to help the person being bullied – how do we protect the person being bullied, cyber bullied, the person being oppressed, tormented, ridiculed, discriminated against and isolated. Then the third part is how do we educate the public and help them keep tabs on and examine ALL of their minute by minute behaviors to see if they are kind, if they are anti-bullying, if they are the humane thing to do.”
NCYMH’s anti-bullying policy is even when someone tells a lie about someone, distorts what they said, gossips about them behind their back, deprives them of an opportunity on discriminatory grounds, or holds them up to public ridicule– this is all bullying. We must Say NO to our peers, our colleagues and choose human goodness, fairness and justice. Say NO to Bullying and YES to Life, YES to Justice. That’s exactly what we need to say when we are asked to participate in an unkind act. Say NO.
An Anti-Bullying Revolution: The result NCYMH will achieve from the April 21, 2021 Say NO event is a kinder, more aware society. So this is a revolution – an anti-bullying revolution and our youth – they are up to the job, Our youth – they are unstoppable, Our youth – they can do anything and NCYMH is committed to listening, Supporting and Elevating every single human being we work with in a Safe Zero Tolerance for Bullying Safe Space. The National Collaborations April 21, 2021 Say No to Bullying YES to Life event already has over five thousand registrants and is free with a minimum donation of $2.00.
https://ymhconference.ca/say-no-to-bullying/
Registration for all National Collaboration for Youth, NCYMH events, programs and services are here: The National Collaboration for Youth Mental Health Events | Eventbrite