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Florida teen cross-Canada tour takes aim at bullying

Acacia Woodley refuses to let the bullies win. Born with just two fingers on her left hand an no right hand at all, the 13-year-old Palm Bay, Fla. student is crossing the country, promoting friendship as a way to stop bullying in its tracks.
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Acasia Woodley (centre) is joined by student volunteers at St. Elizabeth School in Thunder Bay, where on Wednesday she presented a Friendship Bench that will be placed in the school’s refurbished playground. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

Acacia Woodley refuses to let the bullies win.

Born with just two fingers on her left hand an no right hand at all, the 13-year-old Palm Bay, Fla. student is crossing the country, promoting friendship as a way to stop bullying in its tracks.

On Wednesday the youngster, nicknamed Tiny, arrived in Thunder Bay, where she presented a brightly coloured Friendship Bench to students at St. Elizabeth School.

No one should ever have to suffer through bullying or teasing at such a young age, she said. And she should know.

Three years ago, when she moved to the Florida city she now calls home, a popular girl in her classroom made it clear to other students that if they befriended Acacia, they could no longer be friends with her.

Acacia, who started the company Tiny Girl, Big Dreams, couldn’t understand what she had done to draw out the wrath of her new classmates.

But rather than sulk and wallow in self-pity, she decided to take action, inviting her bully to her house. Surprised the invitation was even accepted, Acacia said they talked for hours and she learned her tormenter was going through a terrible experience at home.

They became friends, and Acasia asked her mother to present a friendship bench to her new school, the first of more than 100 she’s donated.

“I realized that it wasn’t just the people being bullied that needed help, it was also the bullies,” said the teen, who will also be speaking on Thursday morning at the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, sponsors of her trek to Thunder Bay.

“So I created a place where everyone can go to talk about what they’re going through. And that was the friendship bench.”

Rather than teach students the perils of bullying, Acasia focuses her discussion on the importance of friendship and acceptance, encouraging children as young as four and five to include everyone in their activities and outings.

“Friendship is really important because when you have a friend you always have someone to go to,” she said.

“And if you aren’t talking to anyone, it’s essentially like a balloon. You keep blowing more air into it and eventually it will pop.”

Ten-year-old Olivia Jarvis, a Grade 5 student at St. Elizabeth, thinks it’s a great idea.

“I learned that you can stand up and you don’t have to be someone big in the world to make a huge difference. And even if you’re different, you shouldn’t be bullied for that and you shouldn’t be treated any differently. You should always be yourself,” said Olivia, adding there was a bullying problem at her school last year, but it seems to have dissipated this fall.

“People have gotten along and it’s good to see that everybody’s getting along and they’re happy.”
She’s convinced the bench, which will eventually be placed on the school playground when renovations currently under way are complete, will be a hit with students of all ages.

“People can sit down and really talk about what they’re feeling and what happened,” she said. “I really think they will use it because we all really get along and come through for each other, even if takes more than a couple of minutes. We always find a solution of how to solve the problem.”

 





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