Photo of the Day: B.C. Proclaims March is Red Cross Month

B.C. & Yukon Provincial Director Kimberley Nemrava and Cynthia Lee, Health Equipment Loan program volunteer, proudly displaying B.C.’s March is Red Cross Month Proclamation.

The province of British Columbia has officially proclaimed March as Red Cross Month. The Lieutenant Governor of B.C., the Honourable Judith Guichon, made the proclamation, recognizing the Canadian Red Cross as a reflection of the Canadian spirit of generosity, caring and selflessness. She also thanked Red Cross volunteers in Canada and around the world, who, for more than 100 years, have been working to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

A couple of weeks ago, the city of Kelowna also declared March Red Cross Month, as did other cities and municipalities across Canada. Red Cross Month gives Canadians an opportunity to find out what Red Cross is doing in their community, and how they can get involved.

Photo of the Day: Talking bullying prevention on Global TV

Mona Cheng, Assistant Coordinator with our Violence & Abuse Prevention Program in B.C., was on Global Mandarin News this week talking about B.C.’s Imagine No Bullying Campaign. Through this interview, Mona was able to reach an important audience with information about the campaign, our anti-bullying messaging and resources that are available for parents, youth and teachers through the Imagine No Bullying site. Well done, Mona!

Red Cross Youth Volunteers take their Stories of Bullying to the Big Screen

That’s the trailer for a brilliant film starring local kids who’ve been bullied directed by our very own Canadian Red Cross RespectED team in B.C., including staff and students involved in our bullying prevention program. The film, How to Help: A Youth Perspective on Bullying is pretty fantastic; it was created in collaboration with Reel Youth, a non-profit, media empowerment program supporting youth.

The goal is that this film will help open up dialogue in schools, homes, community centres and amongst anyone who is interested in helping put an end to bullying. So many parents feel helpless when their child is experiencing bullying, so a group of courageous youth came together to give their perspectives on how youth who are being bullied at school can be effectively supported at home.

The screening of How to Help: A Youth Perspective on Bullying will take place in Vancouver onFriday, September 21^st, 2012at the Vancity Theatre, located at the Vancouver International Film Centre. Global TV news anchor Steve Darling will be our host for the event.We will also present an interactive demonstration of www.imaginenobullying.ca, a new website created for the B.C. Imagine…No Bullying campaign that’s about to be launched.  

Tickets are $10 and include a DVD copy of the film. Tickets are available online at www.ticketstonight.ca or by calling 604-684-2787. Doors open at 1 p.m. and the show starts at 2:00 p.m.

Volunteer profile: Kiran speaks out against bullying

For almost two years, Kiran Cheema has been volunteering for the Red Cross Violence & Abuse Prevention Program, RespectED. The grade 12 student and aspiring medical school student from Surrey, BC is an enthusiastic peer facilitator for the Beyond the Hurt bullying prevention program which is offered in schools.  In this program, older students educate younger students about bullying, with a focus on teaching students how they can intervene. “I have seen a difference and a change with the younger students in my school,” says Kiran, which has motivated her to take a more active role in the program.

Kiran Cheema (r) and RespectED staffer Karen Moss

Along with spreading anti-bullying messages in schools, Kiran is also an advocate for the Red Cross program, speaking at province-wide educator conferences and local school boards to encourage more schools to implement RespectED programming.

Kiran’s enthusiasm for the program has spread into the arena of film-making, where she worked on three youth-led film initiatives about bullying in schools. The short films were screened at the world-renowned Vancouver International Film Festival and received positive reviews.

Thanks Kiran, for your dedication and commitment to the program. We hope you remain a part of the Red Cross family for years to come!