By Taylor Dennehy
KELOWNA — A UK man is calling out to Kelowna residents to help set up a charity funded campaign to help prevent bullying in the Okanagan.
Gary Payne is an anti-bullying specialist who has set up a successful charity called Young People Are Our Future based in the UK. The foundation helps educate young people in hopes of bringing them confidence and success when dealing with a bully. He has come from London, England to spread a message he says could help the youth of today.
“Bullying exists everywhere. What we try and do is tackle everything with preventative measures.”
Payne says that by giving kids the skills to avoid a situation before it happens, trauma associated with being bullied will be minimized. He wants Kelowna’s help to set up a Skills for Life centre, much like the one in the UK. He says it will be a place for vulnerable young people to go and feel safe and receive the help they need.
“When kids come through we’re going to give them core skills, communication skills, body language assessment skills and the ability to assess and avoid a situation but also attach it to sport. Attach it to dance, to music, to theatre. Activities that kids love doing and therefore not only can they enhance those skills that we’re developing but we can give them some really real core confidence.”
“Another big thing for us is creating evidence. We work with hundreds and hundreds of young people in various different places that don’t know how to create the evidence they need in order for the bullying to be stopped.”
“We’re calling out to the Kelowna community. Whether it’s philanthropists, local builders, seniors, anybody really that has a passion for making a difference; we have a place for them.”
If you’d like to help can email Payne directly for more information at gary@ypaof.org.
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