Halifax, October 28, 2005 -- Today, Michael Savage, Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole, Nova Scotia, on behalf of the Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, launched "Tell Someone", the final component of a multi-year, multi-media, anti-bullying campaign produced by Concerned Children’s Advertisers, in partnership with the Government of Canada’s National Crime Prevention Centre."Community leaders, teachers, academics, police, and other concerned citizens are working with governmental and non-governmental organizations to prevent and counter bullying," said Minister McLellan. "The Government of Canada is proud to be supporting and working with these organizations in their efforts to make our communities stronger and safer.""All children and youth have the right to be safe from bullying in their homes, schools, and communities," said Mr. Savage. "To stop hurtful behaviour, we all need to respond when it occurs, and take steps to prevent it from happening in the first place."This phase of the campaign focuses on giving the victims of bullying the confidence to speak up. It will illustrate the overwhelming psychological effect that bullying can have on a child and the incredible counter-effect of enlisting the help of a trusted adult. The campaign was launched today at the Peace@School Practical Tools and Strategies Symposium."We are very excited about the power of this message to help children change their situations," said Diana Carradine, Executive Director of Concerned Children’s Advertisers. "Independent research and our direct feedback from children, parents and educators tell us that kids really respond to messages from Concerned Children’s Advertisers." "Tell Someone" was produced with the expert counsel of bullying researchers, Dr. Debra Pepler and Dr. Wendy Craig, who ensured that the latest research and information was at the root of this campaign. "Tell Someone" is the third and final component of a three year campaign, which received $600 000 in funding support from the Government of Canada’s National Crime Prevention Centre. As part of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the NCPC helps enhance personal and public safety by investing in approaches that deal with the underlying causes of crime and victimization - factors such as family distress, bullying, or substance abuse. Launched in 1998, building on the strengths of partnerships to support over 5000 projects nationwide, the National Crime Prevention Strategy has made a real difference in the lives of Canadians.The Peace@School toolkit, which is a multimedia resource developed by Peaceful Schools International and Sea to Sea Productions, was also launched at the Peace@School Practical Tools and Strategies Symposium. Peaceful Schools International is a non-profit organization that aims to provide support and recognition to schools that have declared a commitment to creating and maintaining a culture of peace.Concerned Children’s Advertisers is a non-profit organization that uses collective resources and skills to create and implement initiatives, which educate, empower and benefit the children of Canada.For further information:Media RelationsPublic Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada(613) 991-0657 Alex SwannDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness(613) 991-2863Daniel RiendeauProgram AnalystNational Crime Prevention Strategy (604) 561-5716Miranda HillVice President, CommunicationsConcerned Children's Advertisers(416) 484-0871
