For Corey O鈥橲oup, speaking at Dr. Brass School last Wednesday was sort of a homecoming.
O鈥橲oup, Saskatchewan鈥檚 new Advocate for Children and Youth, told the assembly of students at the school that he attended classes at Dr. Brass in Grade 2.
Or, at least O鈥橲oup, attending the Dr. Brass Bears Love Yourself Day, said he was at the school for a short while. In his Grade 2 year, he related, he attended classes at six different schools.
It was part of an upbringing O鈥橲oup said was not always easy.
It was often a case of an empty refrigerator at home, and that meant going to school many days without lunch. But O鈥橲oup said he wouldn鈥檛 admit to not having a lunch, instead masking the situation by telling others he didn鈥檛 like lunch.
鈥淓ven today it鈥檚 hard for me to eat lunch,鈥� he said.
And supper was only marginally better, with macaroni and tomato soup on the table five or six nights a week.
鈥淚 could tell when mom and dad had some money there were wieners 鈥� chopped up into the soup,鈥� said O鈥橲oup.
While food was often scarce, O鈥橲oup said his parents did have a vision for their children.
鈥淥ne of the most important things they taught me was about education, about going to school,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or five, or six years I had perfect attendance 鈥� They (mom and dad) made me get up, made me go to school.鈥�
At the time O鈥橲oup said he would have rather slept in but 鈥渘ow I鈥檓 really thankful for it 鈥hat childhood really shaped who I today,鈥�
O鈥橲oup told the students that their time in school is a building block.
鈥淓ducation is something that is really important,鈥� he said.
For O鈥橲oup making sure youth have the opportunity to an education is just one of his responsibilities of his provincial role. He said his role is essentially about ensuring the safety of more than 300,000 youth in Saskatchewan.
While there are basic human rights, such as the right to food and water, O鈥橲oup said children have a number of additional specific rights as laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, a document signed by all UN nations except the United States.
O鈥橲oup said his office is there to ensure the rights of youth are protected, so if a young person thinks 鈥渟omething is happening they don鈥檛 think it right,鈥� they can contact his office.
鈥淪omeone in the province is standing up for you and your rights.鈥�
One effort to help youth which O鈥橲oup has already been involved with is talking with more than 1000 youth in Saskatchewan鈥檚 north to learn firsthand about their issues and concerns.
鈥淚 was told about some really difficult situations,鈥� he said, adding of the more than 300 who offered up their personal stories the biggest concern was 鈥渢hey told me they鈥檙e sad.鈥�
That sadness comes from many things, but topping the list is that many feel they are bullied.
When O鈥橲oup asked if students in the assembly thought they have ever been bullied, most hands went up.
鈥淏ullying is different than it used to be,鈥� said O鈥橲oup. He noted when he was a kid he could find safety at home, but today bullying can follow a youngster home as it takes place through various social media.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get rid of it. It鈥檚 worse than when I was a kid,鈥� he said.
And while O鈥橲oup said he was pushed into lockers and had his running shoes taken, the stories today suggest it鈥檚 a rougher bullying taking place too.
鈥淏ullying is getting way more violent and aggressive than they used to be,鈥� he said.
And, the 鈥榲oices鈥� from youth in the province鈥檚 north also told stories that not all bullying comes from peers. Adults such as teachers and RCMP officers were also talked of as aggressors at times.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just kids bullying kids anymore,鈥� said O鈥橲oup.
That said O鈥橲oup said in most cases when bullying is taking place children should talk to an adult; parent, teacher, the police, but added they can contact his office as well if they need help.
The report, now complete, is one O鈥橲oup said he wants to see action taken on.
鈥淚 promised these kids the report would not gather dust on a shelf, that something would be happen,鈥� he said, adding copies are with the Premier, the Prime Minister and he soon heads to Columbia to talk about the findings.
O鈥橲oup said there are a number of calls for action resulting from the report, and he said while the provincial government has accepted the document, he hopes now that the new premier and cabinet are in place that specific actions will move forward.聽
