I think we have all been bullied or been affected by bullying at some point in our lives and it sucks. I remember as a teenager being bullied over the course of my grade 12 year and it left me feeling alone, anxious and downright scared at times. Each child deserves the chance to grow and flourish, despite their perceived differences.
I am incredibly proud to #StandTogether with The Canadian Safe School Network, a Canada-wide, registered charitable organization and Yo Sox to educate others and spread the word about their wonderful campaign to stop bullying.
Most people report that they are bullied due to their race, weight, physical differences, religion…even hair colour (I’m looking at those who think “Kick a Ginger Day” is funny). Did you know also that over half of Canadian teens have had a negative experience with social media, and 3 in 5 Canadian teens have witnessed online bullying? Those stats blow my mind. We need to come together to stop this behaviour in its tracks, and get back to supporting and lifting each other up, as opposed to hiding behind a computer and feeding the bullying fire.
I implore you to embrace your differences. The fact that we are all different makes us unique and awesome. How boring would the world be if we all looked and acted the same? Go out and make friends with people of different backgrounds. Encourage young people to try new things and meet new people. Learning about different cultures and people makes for well-rounded, better educated minds.
Be sure to check out the super cute collection of socks that The Canadian Safe School Network and Yo Sox have designed to help spread this awesome anti-bullying message. Yo Sox has committed to donate a portion of sales of each pair of socks to The Canadian Safe School Network to fund anti-bullying youth programs. So, not only will these cute socks warm your feet, they’ll help you take a stand against bullying!
Head over to the Yo Sox website and treat yourself to a pair from the #StandTogether collection!
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Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.
Bullying is something I feel so passionately about after experiencing it first hand throughout the duration of my life, it’s sickening how many of us have been through it and how severely it can impact lives. More certainly needs to be done to tackle the problem more appropriately, but sadly there are so very few people that appear to care, unless it’s happened to them. This sounds like a totally different direction of thought now, but I have to comment on the fact that those socks are actually super cute! Good job on using your blog to raise some awareness, by the way. <3
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Thank you so, so much for your thoughtful comment. I agree wholeheartedly. Bullying really affected me throughout my life too. And I’m amazed at how hard those negative effects are to shake off. Some days, I still feel like that little kid who was teased so much for having “ugly hair, a big nose, etc.” Kids can be so cruel, but we have also learned that adults can be even worse.
I’m thrilled to have participated in this campaign to raise awareness! And yeah – those socks are totally cute!