According to its website, Teen Truth Live is North America’s premier student assembly experience aimed at discussing bullying and school violence, drugs and alcohol, and body image and self-esteem issues in schools.

Based in San Diego, Calif., Teen Truth Live has “the most unique issue-focused” assembly programs available through their award-winning, student-shot films that uncover “the real truth on the issues that students face but don’t talk about” and has motivational speakers across the nation.

Michael Sarich, tour manager of Teen Truth Live, said he and two other program speakers arrived on May 6 to speak in front of public school students from over 20 junior high and high schools on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

Sarich disclosed that it was right after the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado that director Erahm Christopher and producer JC Pohl expressed their desire to make a difference. They hand-selected five teenage students who were a given a camera to film how teenagers feel about being one. What resulted was a 22-minute film about bullying and school violence and before long, two more 22-minute films about drugs and alcohol and image and self-esteem were created “through the eyes of a teenager.”

“Never in a million years did they think that Teen Truth would grow to as big as it is,” said Sarich. “Everybody faces one or all three of these issues in some way, shape or form that’s why we feel it’s important.”

Sarich said this is the second year for PSS to bring the Teen Truth Live program to the islands. For this trip, Sarich was joined by the program’s co-founder and producer Pohl and another motivational speaker, Giselle Rodriguez.

Sarich said the response from students has been “overwhelming.” In fact, one student from Rota took it upon himself to make a difference in his community. “That’s what Teen Truth is all about-having the power to make a difference in either yourself or the community,” he added.

Sarich said their program includes follow-up mechanisms contained in a 35-page teacher’s resource book that encompasses activities for students and teachers.

“Most schools say that their entire culture has changed because of our program,” he said. “It kind of opened up everybody’s eyes, especially when it comes to bullying, that it makes everyone a lot happier now. People walk around now without that chip on their shoulder because they are so open and honest with everybody now.”

Sarich, who is a motivational speaker for the drugs and alcohol component of the program, stressed that students do not have to follow in the footsteps of family members with drinking or drug abuse problems.

“I always tell students when I’m up on stage, you have the power to do anything that you want in life. If you have a family member who does drink or does use drugs, you do not have to follow in their footsteps. You have the power to do anything that you want and you do not have to give in to what your surroundings have adapted to,” he added.

Sarich is hopeful that PSS will continue to bring Teen Truth to the islands. “We want to continue building this relationship with the CNMI.”

By: Clarissa V. David
Saipan Tribune

More than 700 freshmen and sophomores at Middletown High School filled the auditorium Monday to learn the affects bullying could have through the nationally piloted TEEN TRUTH program that debuted in Delaware this week.

“It was very upsetting,” Callahan said after seeing a list of school shootings over the past 15 years listed on the screen. “There were so many.”

The film’s director, Erahm Christopher, used the tragedy; one that occurred when many of its viewers were still in diapers, as a stepping-stone to demonstrate to students an extreme impact bullying can have on teenagers.

“What bothered me is that no one asked the kids why,” Christopher said. “We interviewed a diverse group of students and what we found – they said no one really listened to them.”

Catie McCoy, a sophomore, said afterwards that her perception on kids with not a lot of friends changed.

“They need to be talked to, [too],” she said.

In a joint effort between Special Olympics Project Unify and TEEN TRUTH, students at Middletown and Newark High Schools were presented with an interactive, multimedia-based assembly focusing on developing strong, positive school communities.

In his documentary, Christopher and his team gave five students video cameras to film their day-to-day life to compile a film he said he hoped would make students think differently.

One student who was interviewed for Christopher’s film talked about a time where she was tripped in the courtyard at her school and spit on.

Another scene showed two students involved in a physical fight.

“Our hope is that the kids walk away being nicer to each other,” said Middletown High School Principal Jim Comegys.

Several students said they left the assembly with a new outlook.

“I feel like going to the people I was mean to and apologizing,” freshman Shendsley Jolicoear said.

Like any high school, there is bullying at Middletown, but it’s not a significant issue, he said. Still, the Delaware Attorney General’s Office and the Appoquinimink School District are taking steps to make sure they’re wrapping into it.

The presentation also helped bring awareness to special needs students.

Sam Young, a junior at Del-Castle Vo-Tech, who was born with an intellectual disability, shared his story with Middletown’s students.

Young, who has competing in the Special Olympics for eight years had to transfer to Del-Castle because he was bullied at his previous school.

“A classmate would follow me to the bathroom and would hit me,” he told students.

Even after getting special permission to leave class early to avoid his tormentors, they didn’t stop.

In Young’s physical education class, a group of students who he said he thought were his friends filmed him dancing. They then posted the video to YouTube, making degrading remarks throughout it.

“Truth is, I’m just like you,” Young said.

There are just over a 100 students at Middletown High School with a variety of needs, Comegys said.

Christopher then asked the students in the assembly to tell him the truth.

In a survey done by the U.S. Department of Education, about 30 percent of students said that they have either been bullied or have been the bully.

Christopher asked that anyone who has ever been bullied or has ever been a bully to stand up.

Just about all of the students in the high school auditorium stood up.

“That’s about 99 percent.”

Even teachers and other adults got to their feet.

“I just proved,” Christopher said, “you’ve all been bullied.”

Article by Kim Manahan © Copyright 2012 Middletown Transcript. Some rights reserved.

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Here’s the latest from the TEEN TRUTH newsroom:

Our new speaker Giselle Rodriguez received great press when she presented our BULLY & SCHOOL VIOLENCE program to middle and high school students in Pacific Grove, CA! READ IT

As Sarich aimed to quiet the last few whispers that remained in the theatre at 8:30 AM, his loud voice immediately silenced the senior class. No one was quite sure what to expect. Would it be the usual talk from someone who witnessed drug and alcohol abuse? Would it have the same message to get us to make the right choices on the weekends?

“I was just expecting to get a bunch of stats and facts about drug use,” said senior Karly Loberg.

Sarich started off by presenting at 22-minute video created by Teen Truth Live. “This was the second video made by this program that I saw. I thought the first one changed my life, but this very movie you are about to watch, it definitely changed me completely,” said Sarich, right before the lights turned off and the movie began.

The video was a documentary-type film showing various teens and adults who had suffered from abuses of substances from alcohol, to marijuana, to cocaine. It included graphic images of people who had died from drug use, as well as before-and-after photos of people who had started to become addicted to hard drugs. Photos of people losing whole heads of hair and full sets of teeth flashed before the students’ eyes. The movie depicted teenagers enjoying themselves at a party with a beer in hand, and adults destroying their lives by picking up that one joint, or that one needle.

Towards the end of the video, the entire room heard a real 911 phone call from two adults who were high on crystal meth. As Sarich described it, hearing the call made him “sick to his stomach.”

As the video ended, with a powerful quote about how “we won’t be seventeen for the rest of our lives,” Sarich greeted a very somber senior class who was beginning to be forced to think about the choices of themselves and those around them.

He began by sharing his life story, with little details about his high school experience and his goal to become a pitcher in the Major Leagues. With each sentence, his life got seemingly worse. He told us, in great detail, how he paved the way for his drug addiction by his late teen years. It took him two deaths and a few broken relationships for him to finally change.

“The video was inferior to his speech about his life experiences,” said senior Brad Tyler. “It definitely made me think.”
With his talk, Sarich aimed for students to realize that anyone can fall out of line and abuse drugs and alcohol. He specifically addressed the senior class by reminding them that next year, seniors will be living on their own and making their own choices, and each choice they make today can and will affect them tomorrow.

“It was relatable because we heard first-hand stories rather than random statistics,” said senior Kirstie Sorenson.
Clearly, his first-hand account of being an addict at a younger age affected some members of the senior class and the rest of the Cathedral community.

As Principal Mike Deely said as the seniors left the theatre, “Remember that we have the resources to help you or a friend at this school. Don’t be afraid to seek help.”

Article by Jaci Matter © Copyright 2011 El Cid. All Rights Reserved.

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They sat attentively through an hour-long assembly presented by Teen Truth Live, an organization that raises awareness of bullying and other social issues in schools. Included was a screening of Teen Truth’s powerful film, ‘Bullying and Violence,’ directed by Erahm Christopher, Teen Truth’s co-founder.

The documentary was emotional. It was raw and it was real. Students and teachers alike wiped tears from their eyes.

For some students, the presentation was overwhelming, for others it was the light at the end of the tunnel. It was the moment the teens learned they were not alone in being a victim of bullying.

The documentary, which opened with footage from the April 20, 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, focused on social issues that can lead to bullying, school violence, drugs and alcohol, body image and self-esteem issues.

It featured students discussing their experiences in dealing with bullies. Included in the assembly were personal speeches presented by two Elsinore High School students that challenged students to think about how their reactions to these issues impact the lives of those around them.

Danny Bedford, a senior at Elsinore High School, shared his story on being bullied.

He has cerebral palsy and explained how many teens his age make fun of him because they simply don’t understand his disability. He said even now as a senior, one would think the bullying would have stopped, but it hasn’t.

“I was born in a body that doesn’t function like it’s supposed to all the time,” Danny said. “It is part of me, but the way I walk does not define who I am. If you look past my challenges you’ll see I’m human just like you.”

Danny was nervous. He paused a few times and had to gather his thoughts before he continued to share his story. What came next was unexpected.

The more than 100 students in the auditorium began to cheer for Danny. With the encouragement of his peers, he was able to finish telling his story.

“I challenge you to accept people for who they are and not for how they look or what they wear. If we remove our outer shell, we are all the same.”

Thursday’s Teen Truth Live experience proved to have a significant impact on Temescal Canyon students.

Many of them high-fived Danny after the assembly and others spent time with Christopher after the presentation, sharing their personal experiences of being bullied. They asked what they could do and how they could get involved to help make a difference.

“That’s the point,” Christopher said. “It’s to challenge them to think differently and empower them. We hope to build confidence in them and also have them take initiative to stand up for someone else.”

Dr. Kathleen Roberts, assistant superintendent of student support services for the Lake Elsinore Unified School District, said the problem of bullying is alive and well and cannot be ignored.

“We have this tremendous opportunity to end the bullying through education,” she said. “Maybe this (film) will help students think twice before they say another unkind word.”

Christopher said the inspiration for the film came about in response to the Columbine High School shooting. He said the questions always brought up were “how” and “why” something like that could happen. But no one was asking the students “why” he said.

“I wanted to give them a voice and an opportunity,” he said.

In the end, that’s why I ask students—if you’re not being the difference, what are you doing? Nothing. The change has to come with them first.”

Thursday’s presentation in Lake Elsinore was a partnership between Teen Truth Live and Special Olympics Southern California’s Project Unify. It is the first time the hybrid program is presented in the state, organizers said.

Article and Photo by Yazmin Alvarez © Copyright 2011 Southwest Riverside News Network. All Rights Reserved.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Ronnie Brown, in conjunction with Eagles Youth Partnership and Power 99 FM, stopped by South Philly High to share his “23 Ways to Stop Youth Violence” program with the full student body.

In an understated yet heartfelt 10-minute speech, Brown spoke about his personal struggles—including a stint where both of his parents went to prison—and encouraged students to persevere through the many pressures of adolescence.

“I always tried to stay positive,” Brown said.

“I always tried to use school and sports as my tool, my safe haven.”

Brown’s speech segued to a student-filmed documentary about school violence called TEEN TRUTH. Erahm Christopher, the film’s director and creator, presented the film in person and added a sentimental touch by sharing his own teenage struggle against bullies.

Brown started “23 Ways to Stop Youth Violence,” which is part of the larger Ronnie Brown Project, while he was a member of the Miami Dolphins.

Among the 23 pointers, Brown’s initiative tells students to “walk away,” “see the big picture,” and “talk to a professional” in order to diffuse potentially violent conflicts.

Though Brown has only been with the Eagles for a matter of months, he’s moved quickly to transfer his anti-violence message to his new hometown.

“We all need people to help change our lives,” Brown said. “I want to be one of those people.”

The lesson seemed to resonate with the students at the school, which experienced violence in December 2009 when more than two dozen Asian students were attacked by classmates. Hackney called the student audience one of the most engaged he’s seen at South Philly High, and concluded the assembly on a triumphant note.

“We are going to change this school,” Hackney bellowed.

© Copyright 2010 The Philadelphia Public School Notebook. All Rights Reserved.

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You have been bullied.

Have you ever done any of these things to another person?

You are a bully.

That was the message Friday at Tokay High School, where filmmaker Erahm Christopher spoke after freshman and sophomore students viewed his movie on bullying and school violence.

Principal Erik Sandstrom said the Teen Truth Live experience is part of the school’s anti-bullying efforts. Students said the message drove home a simple truth – treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Christopher, who grew up in Linden, is the son of former state lawmaker Michael Machado.

He shared his own high school experience with bullying and urged students to speak up when they are being victimized, whether it’s to their parents, their siblings, their teachers or their friends.

In Christopher’s case, his brother and his parents saved him from a bullying incident in school.

Later, when his brother died in an accident, Christopher told students he changed his name to honor his late brother. Christopher has taken his Teen Truth Live experience to high schools across the nation and has reached more than 250,000 teenagers.

He lives in Montreal.

Copyright 2011 The Record. All rights reserved. (photo by: Calixtro Romias/The Register)

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They watched a powerful film about bullying and school violence. The story was shot and told by teenagers from five schools. The director also talked about being bullied and what causes teens to hurt others or even kill.

The film opened with a warning. It was no horror movie. It was real and it was graphic.

“Two-thousand students scattered, but some were too wounded to run,” the announcer said.

The film takes us inside Columbine High School in Colorado. Two students opened fire in April of 1999, killing 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide.

“I wanted to create something unlike anything you’ve ever seen before,” Erahm Christopher told the students.

The massacre inspired Christopher to direct the film: “Teen Truth Live, Bullying and Violence”.

“What really bothered me was that I didn’t find that people were asking the youth what their opinion was. Why this could happen,” said Christopher. “I really felt there was a need to give the students a voice.”

“When you’re a teenager, life can be a complicated, empty place,” a teenage boy said.

“I wasted a year feeling like I wasn’t good enough,” said a teenage girl.

Christopher knows first-hand about being scared. As a teenager, he was threatened by another teen.

“I took the gun, I took it apart in three pieces, and I stuffed it in my football duffle bag,” said Christopher.

Fortunately, his older brother stopped him by telling his parents. Christopher’s experience helped students open-up about their own pain and to speak the truth.

“Have you ever been punched, kicked, tripped, or shoved on purpose by someone else? If that has ever happened to you, please stand up,” he told the crowd.

Just about every one in the school auditorium stood up.

“I think it made it more personal since he went out of his way to share his story with us,” said senior Ashley Noblin. “It kind of made us feel more comfortable, like we all have a story too.”

“I think it was a really powerful presentation and it reached a lot of students,” said senior Elizabeth Quave. “I think it gives everybody a little bit of insight into they’re not the only student going through these problems.”

“You need to take this seriously and it’s not something you can just blow off,” said senior Joshua Horshok.

The Teen Truth Live organization is based in Austin, Texas. At the end of the program, Christopher challenged the students to examine their own behaviors and to treat others with honesty, respect and compassion.

“He complimented a girl’s necklace and just simple acts of kindness like that, can make a person’s day,” said senior Haleigh Hughes.

Copyright 2011 WLOX. All rights reserved. (photo by: Susan Ruddiman/Press-Register)

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OUR NEXT STOP ON THE SCHOOL SAFETY ROADSHOW TOUR!

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be taking our two-hour interactive School Safety Roadshow Tour to Chino, California in October! We’re looking forward to MAKING A DIFFERENCE with our CADA partners!

Students at Taunton High School listened attentively to Christopher’s every word during the Thursday morning assembly at the school. There were many serious faces in the crowd when he delivered his message and showed a documentary he filmed about school shootings and bullying.

Christopher, the founder of Teen Truth Live, travels the United States and Canada to spread a message of tolerance and anti-bullying. He said he felt compelled to confront bullying after the 1999 Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

“Every one of you has the power to be the difference in someone’s life,” he said.
He shared his personal experiences and showed the students a short documentary film. It is important, he said, to seek help when encountering problems instead of bottling everything up.

“If it sits inside you, it’s going to eat away at you until it turns into something negative,” he said.

Years ago, he learned that lesson as a 14-year-old boy who was threatened by a bully. Afraid a group of bullies was planning to beat him up, Christopher took apart a 20 gauge shotgun and hid the pieces in his book bag.

“I don’t know what I was going to do with it,” he confessed to a group of Taunton High students gathered for an assembly Thursday.

Luckily, Christopher’s older brother saw the weapon and intervened, telling his parents who, in turn, notified the police.

“What my brother did changed my life,” Christopher said. “I don’t think I’d be standing in front of you right now.”

The night before he packed the gun in his bag, Christopher recalled, another boy called him, out of the blue, and falsely accused him of hitting on his girlfriend. The other boy threatened to gather a group of 10 friends to beat Christopher up.

Instead of seeking help for his problems, Christopher said he decided to take matters into his own hands until his brother, his parents and the police stepped in.

“It’s ridiculous that one phone call could make me bring a shotgun to school,” he said, reflecting on his grave adolescent error in judgment.

He urged students to pledge to refrain from picking on others, spreading rumors and bullying others. Above that, he encouraged them to take a stand when they see others do those things.

“This is your house,” he told them. “If you’re not being the difference, what are you doing? Nothing.”

Christopher also asked students to pledge to no longer use the word “retard,” which he said is very hurtful to those with intellectual disabilities.

Colin Davidson, a Special Olympics athlete with an intellectual disability, shared his story with the students, telling them that he has been the victim of bullies.

“I’m a human being that often feels so isolated and alone because of the way I’m treated,” he said.

Everyone, he said, has the ability to change someone’s life for the better by doing something like including them in activities or standing up to bullies.

“You have the power to make a difference in someone’s life,” he said. “I encourage you to use that power every day.”

Another speaker, Courtney Niel, told the students about her older sister, who has an intellectual disability. Her sister, she said, was constantly teased and bullied in school until one day, a classmate stood up and told the girl’s bully to stop.

“He said, ‘Stop. What did she ever do to you?’” Niel said. “My question for all of you is — are you going to stand up for someone, too?”

Original Article: READ IT

Published by: Taunton Gazette

Written by: Gerry Tuoti

Photograph by: Mike Gay