February 21, 2013

Must Watch: Moving Anti-Bullying Video Goes Viral

You may remember slam poet Shane Koyczan from his moving poem We Are More at the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. That poem may have been what introduced him to the world, but this seven-minute poem and video may change it.

Koyczan wrote To This Day to bring attention to bullying in schools, something that he knows about intimately. He says on his website: "My experiences with violence in schools still echo throughout my life but standing to face the problem has helped me in immeasurable ways."

He hopes people will share the video widely and use it as a jumping off point for conversations about the long-lasting effects of bullying. After two days online it has already been viewed more than 1.5 million times, so he is definitely off to a good start.

I happen to be a big fan of Koyczan; his use of language is absolutely stunning. Last year, he created a poem and video with some high school kids, also about bullying and feeling alone. Instructions For A Bad Day is an inspirational work that can be shared widely with kids of all ages.

But you don't have to be a slam poet fan to find Koyczan's work meaningful and moving. I dare you to listen to some of his videos and not wipe away a tear and swear to be a better person.

To This Day

... but I want to tell them

that all of this shit
is just debris
leftover when we finally decide to smash all the things we thought
we used to be
and if you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself
get a better mirror
look a little closer
stare a little longer
because there’s something inside you
that made you keep trying
despite everyone who told you to quit
you built a cast around your broken heart
and signed it yourself
you signed it
“they were wrong”