Amanda, what a wonderful letter. You have said more than a mouthful when you tell the government that it is time to put money where their mouth is. I have been fighting the Bullying issues since Jenna passed away. The present government was all over me to help them make a difference till I disagreed with them on some points. Then I was dropped like a hot potato.
To leave things as they are is not the answer but neither is a big glossy book. I agree with everything that you have said about the bullying issue and I believe that it is hands on that will make a difference and letting children know that they matter and are important will help more than you know. I have done several presentations at schools from grade primary to grade 12 and kids get it. The last presentation that I did was in front of about 200 young adults. Those kids listened to what I had to say, then i spoke with some of them in small groups. About a month after I did this presentation I received a large brown envelop in the mail. In that envelop were letters from those kids telling me what a difference I had made, there were at least 3 letters that said ” I had a plan and I was going to kill myself until I saw you and heard what you had to say and now I know that someone cares”. You have no idea how this helped me. It has been a struggle since Jenna died and yes she had depression but I can tell you for sure that the school that she attended failed her miserably. I wish I had home schooled her rather that tell her she had to go back to that school. I know in my heart that this is what pushed her over the edge.I feel that we need more teachers and guidance counselors to help our children. We also need to educate ourselves and children on the effects that bullying has on someone with depression. We need to promote good mental health is our schools and have the resources available to our children if they need help. Also, The Kids Help Phone is a wonderful source of support for our children and they are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and they are free. Why could the schools not have a quiet room with a phone directly to kids help phone so that our children could access it anytime they wanted. When a parent deals with the loss of a child it is horrible, but to lose a child for something that is 100% preventable is totally unacceptable. In closing I would like to tell you if you ever decide to run for the government in a position that will help and protect our children I will be the first one on the band wagon to support you. Thank you for your words of wisdom I hope that the government parties of Nova Scotia take heed and listen to what you have to say. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Pam Murchison, Jenna Bowers-Bryantons mother.
We need to educate our children and ourselves on adolescent depression and the effects that bullying can have on someone with this disease.
No comments:
Post a Comment