BBALL4BULLYING spreads anti-bullying message on the court and in the classroom

Robin Boucher didn’t put on the sneakers and the basketball shorts to participate in the 6th annual BBALL4BULLYING event at Odyssee Wednesday afternoon. 

But the North Bay Police Service’s DARE officer knows very well about the problem of bullying in area schools, with the online version being the biggest problem. 

“It is easy for kids to get on a computer and say things they probably would not say face to face,” said Boucher.  

“So it seems it might be a little bit easier for kids and even adults to hide behind a computer screen and say rude things or make threats.” 

Boucher was on the bench guiding the celebrity team made up of police officers, firefighters and even North Bay Battalion players against students from Odyssee.   

The event is run in conjunction with February 28th which is known as National Wear Pink Day.   

Boucher says they talk to students about how to deal with bullying and how important it is if you see bullying, to help a friend and come forward.  

“Some of the more common one cases of bullying we see the person who is being bullied won’t normally speak up and sometimes its a matter of their one of their friends or classmates coming up and talking to them and making them feel comfortable and actually reporting some of the information,” said Boucher.  

Sylvie Vannier has been a pioneer for the anti-bullying message in North Bay and specifically at Odyssee.  

“I see a difference in our school because we are constantly talking about it,” said Vannier.  

“We challenge all the schools out there that if today wasn’t a pink day that you have an initiative in your school against bullying.”    

Vannier adds the non-bullying message has to continue to be brought up more than just on February 28th. 

“The discussion needs to continue, it does not mean bullying is done overnight and it is gone so we have to keep the discussion going and having this kind of community event shows the students that people from the community come in, whether it is police or firefighters, Battalion players or whoever, community players are coming in and working together which is sort of symbolic of what we want the students to do, to come together and bring awareness to something that is a society issue,” added Vannier.