Parents cringe when they listen to details of 15-year-old Amanda Todd’s suicide due to bullying. While it was a cyber stalker that
Nelson the Giant is trying to stop bullying by getting the message out to kids at a young age.
initiated the online bullying, it was torments by her peers that ultimately pushed Todd over the edge.
“We need to start teaching our kids about anti-bullying at a young age,” says Sandy Gemmill, creator of a new anti-bullying campaign for kids. Gemmill wanted to give parents and teachers a way to reach out to children from kindergarten to grade three and teach them from a young age that bullying can be hurtful and harmful.
Nelson the Giant contains a sing-a-long CD and activity book that tells the story of Nelson, a bullied giant that ultimately turns everyone around with his goodness. Through drawing, discussion and song, Nelson the Giant aims to help kids understand the negative effects of prejudice. Gemmill hopes that those anti-bullying sentiments will stay with children throughout their life. “We have to target kids when they’re young if we want to stop bullying,” says Gemmill.
