Nia, 12, is hemiplegic – she is completely paralyzed on the right side of her body. Jeffrey, 18, was born without a right hand or right foot. Saoud, 15, has spina bifida – he was born with an incomplete spinal cord. All three are patients at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Canada. Because of their handicap, all three faced years of bullying. The Canada Shriners Hospital joined the fight against bullying with its #CutTheBull campaign because Nia, Jeffrey and Saoud are far from alone. Children with visible scars or disabilities are twice as likely to be bullied, meaning many Shriners Hospitals for Children patients face this difficult issue.

Nia, Jeffrey and Saoud have not only overcome bullying. Their experience surmounting such a demanding challenge, both psychologically and physically, has taught them that they can overcome many obstacles in life. Now they want to help other kids who may be faced with bullying and are speaking out about their experiences.

This fall, Nia, Jeffrey and Saoud are available to come to your school and give a presentation to students. They will speak about their life with a handicap, their bullying experience and how they overcame it. They will be accompanied by a spokesperson from the Canada Shriners Hospital or a Shriner who will talk about the definition of bullying, myths and facts, and what to do when faced with bullying, whether in person or cyber bullying. The presentation is tailored depending on whether we are speaking to elementary or high school students. All content was developed in collaboration with Daphna Leibovici, violence prevention specialist at the English Montreal School Board.

Not only will this be a great presentation, there will also be posters for your school (example below), a tip and activity sheet for teachers and staff to help them speak to their students about bullying, and information to distribute to students and their parents. Everything is completely without cost.

Jeffrey can do his presentation in either English or French. Nia and Saoud do their presentation in French. The hospital spokesperson or a Shriner can do his/her part of the presentation in either language as well.

Read more about Nia, Jeffrey and Saoud.

Reserve a date!

Anyone interested in having Nia, Jeffrey or Saoud speak at their school in Canada, please contact (or have the principal contact) Caroline Phaneuf at cphaneuf@shrinenet.org