Rock 'n roll to raise awareness about bullying in schools

CALGARY -

Bands and fans rocked out Sunday in support of Dare to Care, a charity that raises awareness about bullying in schools.

The fifth annual YYC Rocks Against Bullying took place at The Back Alley.

“I was bullied as a kid, my kid has suffered through it… there are a lot of great organizations out there that support kids that are dealing with (bullying),” said Kristin Laverty, the volunteer coordinator at RaDiKaL Events, which helped put on Sunday’s event.

“When you hear of the suicides of kids who have been pushed to that point, that’s horrible.”

Dare to Care was founded in 1999, they believe that all stakeholders in schools communities and workplaces need to be involved in changing the societal issue of bullying. As technology has advanced, the program is also educating people about the dangers that can be posed by social media.

“Social media is here to stay, it’s a matter of educating everyone, not just kids, adults are just as guilty of trolling people and being horrible people as teenagers are,” said Laverty. “The bullying doesn’t just impact teenage kids.”

The goal is to raise $10,000 at the event, Laverty said that the money is especially important for Dare to Care as they don’t receive government funding.

“Having fundraising where people give what they can, that’s really important in these times,” said Laverty. “There’s a lot of charities out there that don’t get government funding, they don’t get the big sponsorships from the big companies.”

RaDiKaL Events, a volunteer organization in Calgary, has helped raise over $150,000 for various charities since 2010.