Vancouver based punk band Childsplay brought their "Bullying Sucks" tour to Stanley Humphries Secondary School in Castlegar on Tuesday.
Around 100 kids from the school were on hand to check out the young rockers. Local acts such as Roy Has Fire, Leeza Perehudoff, Jessica Auger, and Katie Clemans-Gibbons also performed at the show.
Childsplay decided to undertake the "Bullying Sucks" tour as a response to the bullying they encountered in high school.
As William Hooley, Childsplay’s bassist puts it, "Music is an escape from bullying, playing an album won't yell at you for being the way you are, it will make you feel better about it. Society pumps kids full of fear regardless. The last thing kids need to fear are their peers; they should stand strong beside them."
Teenage bullying is a very real problem in schools. And it isn't always physical. There are many different types of bullying, including verbal and emotional bullying. These types of bullying, though more subtle than physical bullying, can still have a large impact on a student. Additionally, with the Internet now becoming a huge part of many teen lives, it is no surprise that cyber bullying is seeing an increase.
The goal is to make a connection and use music to take a stand. "It's not a normal part of life. Bullying is a serious issue and not enough things are being done about it", says Levin Faber, the bands drummer.
Takumi Shimokawa, Childsplay’s guitarist sums it up this way, "Many who are bullied look to be accepted where ever it may be. Lots of kids can turn to drugs, smoking, heavy drinking which is what we obviously don't want. A better alternative I've (we've) found is music as music can unite a core group of friends that can relate in some way."