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â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"_â€".â€"â€"â€""_â€"'â€"â€"â€"i " l WAl‘lzltiOO CHRONICLE-Wednesday. November 2,2011 - 3 ills" . I I kitchenerltia com @ 519-571-2828 . -â€"â€"â€"â€"~7#_â€"#Aâ€"~â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"#â€"â€"â€"tâ€" _ .v . creating a safe space I , O . School board reafiirms commitment to safety afier Ottawa teen 3 surczde BY PAIGE Desmonn _______________...~_._.____._..______._.___._..____ depression. but never imagined he would t flrronicle Stuff die by suicide. “ in 2008. 1.2 of every 100,000 people in nly weeks after 15~year~old Jamie J Canada aged 10-14 committed suicide. The O Hubley. the son of ()ttawa city (Ioun. V " ‘ number jumped to 9.2 for every 100,000 in Allan Hubley. died by suicide the Q , w those aged 15-19years. public school board is reaffirming.its cont J n. "" ‘5 Suicide is the second highest cause of mitment to creating positive space [or stu- *3 u t m death for kids aged 10-24 years-old. dents. fj- iii ‘ l I ‘ Tana Nash, coordinator of the Waterloo lluhley. the only openly gay teen at his ' , J. l -â€"â€" Region Suicide Prevention Council, said the high school. suffered lrom depression and WRDSB had made strides. but dealing with had been the victim of persistent bullying the bullying outside the classroom was the targeting his sexual orientation. ‘ ; p a.- _ 5 n- real challenge. Catherine Fife. president of the Ontario ;. , we." ,.. l i I ‘ “It's how to stop it in the hallways.” she Public School Boards Association and a ""3 i " . T4} " ' . , said. Waterloo Region District School Board J ‘ I I *3 A new emphasis on mental health â€" trustee. said lainie's death and the media 1 3:; challenges and building strength â€" would attention to the issue has heightened the J y F g“ go along way in helping teens. Nash said. conversation about bullying and the need ' ,. J "r“ '1 “We need to make mental health pan of for more inclusive school environments 3 t J A, J." as ,7 1" : I.” l the curriculum. a class like English or histo- "lt's every parent's worst nightmare. what ’ "it”? if; . a; A $355 ry.” she said. “i think that's important. con- h.ippened to larnie." life said. "In my \‘IL'W. ‘ " T ‘ 5‘: ~ J at s". necting and letting people know how to ask the move to address sexual orientation is 75 ' ’ EX§ for help." probably one oiour biggest frontier issues." J _ “7‘73"" According to 2N3 Statistics Canada data in 300‘! the provincial l.qtiit)' and Inclur .' . . \. teenagers and young adults suffered more sive Education Strategy was launched. manr _ j if" . from the mental disorders surveyed than dating equity and inclusion policies in , ' 73:3; 1 other age groups, but were least likely to use Ontario schools, J *3"; . ' ' '1' " ' 1, . J , resources for problems with mental health. “It highlights the need to get at the heart 1 ', . > J; n ,5} On NOV. 9, the WRDSB will host an event oi the issue. which is bullying based on sex 2; "it"“w entitled Taking Mental Health toSchool. Fife ' ital orientation." Hie said. “2: . ' i 7%" i said. She said the hope was it would empha- lor lluhley. there was no escape from the T" ' it" . H . size the issue and get the community mov- bullying l‘\'t‘ll tillt't school. social media M”? :f__~ , . ingtorward. i meant continued attacks . . I , £232; ’ “ 3.; Nash said her hope was Waterloo won't According to statistics ('unada, In 1005! J . ‘ 3:: _ T_ have to go through what Jamie's community l.('rlil() individuals were more likely to ' '5,“ - "~"x ‘ '3'; had suficred. report haying been cybcrrbtillied. at two to 7' H I For teens. there will always be challenges. three times their heterosexual counterparts. With the advent of social media and advances in technology. bullying is no longer limited to she said, and similar to the It Get: Better 1 , Among Internet users. 24 per cent of those classrooms and school hallways. as (yberbullying can follow kids everywhere. Project which tells gay teens who are bullied 1 r who identified as biseuial and lit per cent of "”“°'° that life will move forward. Nash would like i i those who identified as gay were t‘Yln‘t-lnll received by email or instant messaging or a Mackie said the board had worked to cre~ to see more coping skills instilled at the i lied. compared to sewn per ( t‘tit oi hetero post on a Website at 72 per cent ate safe spaces school level. ‘ st-umls .‘\ recent report issued by the WRI)SB on “The very fact that we have gaystraight "Let's be proactive instead of reactive." ‘ J [be same study reported nine per cent oi suspensions. showed -tTI originated oft-site alliances (GS/\s) in all of our schools now. Nash said. “let's not be lamie's school.” ‘ adults living in A household that included a llierc were 158 suspensions as A result oi they're not as isolated as they were." Mackie The Waterloo Catholic District School . c hild kin-n oi .r case of cylu'rrhtllly'tllt', bullying said. “The last two years we‘ve had a prom Board declined to comment on this story. aguinst at least one of the children in their With the increasing popularity of social specifically for our GSA kids so that they can pending the release of a new framework for J‘ household media. Mary Ion Mackic. (‘Kt‘t olive superin feel sale," equity and inclusion by the Ontario Catholic j I About 1'; pct writ of thesi- adults report tender“ with the hoard. said tylwrhullying Fife agreed. saying people need to open School Tmstees Association and the Ontario , t-d more than one ( hiltl in the household would be included in those incidents. their eyes. Conference ofCaiholic Bishops. ‘ had been r tin-r lllllllt'tl " l hat's an area. illill over the last few “The (kids') issues are the same,” File The public board's cunent policy can be t lhc most tonnuon iorin oi t\‘l)t'l bully units. we have become more accountable." said. ”We need a gay-straight alliance in the viewed at: httpzlIwww.wrdsb.ca/about» 3 me against tlllltlrt'll “its being the target oi \iackic said "Willi the .itlu'iit oi sot It’ll broader community." uslboard-policies ‘ threatening or .iggressiw t'lltrllls or instant Ittt‘tll-I. we have done .i lot of work around Following lamie‘s death. his father spoke The Catholic board's policy's available at : : iiivssagr-s .it Tit percent on teasing awareness oi what's appropriate publicly about the bullying and his son's suir http://www.wcdsb.calap_ memos/PDF/Al’t‘ It u. .ts iollmwd in hate t moments and what's inappropriate " cide. He said he knew his son suffered from 03l7.pdf l i ' Great value. Great performance. 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