U.S. Virgin Islands
Stand Up Against Bullying Tour March 2012

It was great to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands, meet so many friendly, caring people, and share the message of peace in our “Stand Up Against Bullying” Presentations.
Sincerely,
Bruce Langford, (School Speaker, Presenter with Stand Up Now Productions)

March 1st: 7th to 12th Graders
Department of Education
“Stand Up Against Bullying Youth Summit” Day 1

Here is the vow created by students in 7th to 12th grade:

The U.S. Virgin Islands Anti-bullying Vow
We solemnly vow to abolish bullying!
We hereby declare we will use our courage and strength
to not be a bystander,
but instead be a leader, take action and to take a stand.

Here are some of the ideas of the students:

Be determined to reach your goals,
Have confidence, strength, belief
Power and stand up for your rights
Self-esteem might cause you to break
But you can always talk it out with a friend
Be strong, have courage and fight for your rights …
Cyber-bullying is not the way to go!!

Determine to stand up for what is right … no matter the fight
(bullying, verbal abuse)
We have the courage and the power to choose and decide the right reaction to a negative action.
No matter the content of your insults, We have the confidence to determine the results.
No matter the argument or the fight,
Once it’s against bullying, it’s always right.

Click here to see more work by the students

March 2nd: Fifth & Sixth Graders
Department of Education
“Stand Up Against Bullying Youth Summit” Day 2

Here is the pledge created by students in 5th to 6th grade:


Our Stop Bullying Pledge

“I pledge to stop bullying and not be a bystander.
I will lend a helping hand to others
to help keep our communities safe.”

A student report:
T
oday we went to the U.S. Virgin Islands Youth Summet at SugarBay Resort and Spa. There were about 300 5th and 6th graders. We are all from the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education Schools.
We watched BennyDL go live on ATFM radio broadcasting directly from SugarBay Resort. He talked to callers, sang songs and talked about bullying prevention. BennyDL is a DJ but his real name is Bruce Langford.
Later we watched videos & talked about the issues related to bullying.
We got into groups with students from other schools. Some of us made up poems and songs about bullying and what to do. Some of us made up role-plays and skits about bullying. Some groups presented to everyone.
We put our ideas together into one pledge we believed in. The pledge we came up with is simple: I pledge to stop bullying and not be a bystander.
I will lend a helping hand to others to help keep our communities safe.

March 5: Prophecy Academy: Hosting the following schools:
New Testament Academy
Faith Alive Christian Academy
Wesleyan Academy

March 5: All Saints Cathedral School St. Thomas U.S. V.I.

As promised, I’ve included songs, lyrics, links and downloads for you.
Feel free to send me an email or comment anytime. It would be great to hear from you. Thanks for your participation and positive comments.
Sincerely,
Bruce Langford

Videos, Lyrics & Thoughts Shared in the Presentations

Being a Friend Video Personal Service Announcement PSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2lKP4KLNGk
(Change the view 2011) 0:59 Words on Lockers: It can be sometimes hard, but giving that helping hand can make a difference in someone’s life.

I am the Person – Anti-Bullying Poemhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjKgEoOYWW4

Redhead Anti-Bullying Ad   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut7KQhI4

Bentley Green “No More Pain   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL0FTAwaVLU
See lyrics below

Stronger    Megan Landry  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf_7hfA5Pgk
See lyrics below

Bentley Green “No More Pain” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL0FTAwaVLU
So you wanna bully kids and you think its cool
What if somebody bigger wanted to bully you
You like to push kids and make em hit the ground
Would you like it if somebody made you fall down
I don’t idont idont I don’t think so
You should think before you act and probably slow ya roll
Cause..what..goes..around..comes..back
In other words I bet you probably wouldn’t like that
Kids if you see a bully you should stand tall
Never fear them cause they just wanna be yall
Never give up work hard do your best
People hate when they insecure about they self
Keep standing tall keep doing you
Never quit don’t worry bout what bullys do 2x
Sometimes you win sometimes you lose
Sometimes you fall keep standing tall 2x
No more pain no more fear
I cant lose its my year

Stronger    Megan Landry  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf_7hfA5Pgk

Go ahead and load a gun with all your bitter words
Guarantee it’ll be the loudest gunshot heard
Sticks and stones will break your bones
but one day they will cure
nothing hurts, nothing’s worse
than the taste of hurtful words

No need for bullets, no need for knives
Your sharpest weapon is your drunken lies

You taught me to be stronger
To stand a little prouder
Yell a little louder
You taught me to look right over your head
To smile instead, forget where I bled in the first place

Go ahead and huff & puff and blow my house down
Go ahead and sink my boat but you’re never gonna see me drown
Go ahead and mark me up with bruises and scar
Go ahead and push me but you’re gonna be behind bars
No need for bullets no need for knives
Your sharpest weapon is your drunken lies

You taught me to be stronger
To stand a little prouder, yell a little louder
You taught me to look right over your head
To smile instead, forget where I bled in the first place

Carry me down, I won’t fall to the ground
Don’t say my name, like it belongs in your mouth
Don’t try to break me, don’t try to shake me today, yeah.

You taught me to be stronger
To stand a little prouder, yell a little louder
You taught me to look right over your head
To smile instead, forget where I bled in the first place

 

Poem – Anonymous
Today I was bullied,
She wanted to fight,
She got all her friends,
It gave me a fright.
Alone at school,
She teases my looks,
She tries to trip me up,
Because I don’t live by her books.
I want it to stop,
It’s driving me mad,
It makes me scared and ill,
It makes me feel so bad.

I am the Person – Anti-Bullying Poem   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjKgEoOYWW4
Uploaded by antoniorios96 on Nov 17, 2010
I am the person you bullied at school
I am the one who didn’t know how to be cool
I am the person you aggravated
I am the person you ridiculed and hated
I am the person who sat on their own
I am the person who walked home alone
I am the person you scared every day
I am the person who had nothing to say
I am the person with hate in their eyes
I am the person you never saw cry
I am the person living alone with my fears
I am the person destroyed by my peers
I am the person who drowned and swarmed
I am the person who wished they had never been born
I am the person whose name you don’t know
I am the person who can’t let go
I am the person destroyed by your fun
I am the person and I’m not the only one
I am a person who had feelings too
I am a person just like you.

Stacey Zegers, Sunflower  3:59 (Anti-Bullying Campaign Song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIMtPK5VS5c
When I was growing up , I was bullied
There’s one in every class, there’s one in every school
She’s not hot at all
But she knows she’s no fool
And the mean words, from the pretty girls
Come in waves that just won’t quit
But they all run off her back because
She knows who she is.

Sunflower in a field of dandelions,
When the rain comes down there’s a circle around her
Where the sun still shines
And every scene is a sign of things to come
And they all come from inside
Sunflower, she’s a sunflower

There’s no other way to say it
Those girls were cruel back then
So to feel better I bullied others
And I’m not proud of it at all
but I was one of them
until one day by the dairy queen
It all got pretty rough
An I asked her how she stood so strong
And never stopped looking up

Like a sunflower in a field of dandelions
When the rain comes down
There’s a circle around her where the sun still shines
And you see there’s a sign of things to come
And they all come from inside
A sunflower, she’s a sunflower

11.6% of girls and 17% of boys are bullied 2 or more times a month (reported it)

I swear she started growing
And forever I was changed
Those girls are right about one thing
They’re sure she’s not the same
For every suicide complete, between the ages of 15-24,
400 more were attempted – stats Canada

Sunflower in a field of dandelions
When the rain comes down
there’s a circle around her where the sun still shines

You can download the following sample songs. Just right click on the song you want and choose ‘Save Target As’. Choose a place on your computer to save the MP3 and your download will begin.

      Confidence (Sample)
      The Wall (Sample)
      Please Leave Me Alone (Sample)
      Allies (Sample)
      Be Kind Online (Sample)