On July 13, 2022, Youth Advocacy Summer Institute (YASI) 2022 interns were part of the Anti-Bullying Coalition Resource Fair in The Bronx.
Christian’s Fair Experience
I had an extremely positive experience at the Anti-Bullying Resource fair. I enjoyed the music, entertainment, and the different tables. I had an amazing time helping out, talking to different people, and seeing a part of what it takes to pull off something of substantial change. I got to interact with so many different personalities and even got to know my co-workers better. I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience except for the heat of course but I truly enjoyed myself a lot.
My favorite part of the fair was this one older lady who ran a table and was super sweet, funny, and kind the entire fair. I first encountered her when Lyneese (YASI intern) and I were giving out surveys. We were making jokes like I had known her for years. After this, I interacted with her multiple times throughout the fair while I was handing out water and the energy was everything. At the end of the fair she gave me a great big hug and said, “I love you, God bless you!” and that was the highlight of my day.
By: Christian
Shareff’s Fair Experience
My experience at the Anti-Bullying Fair was new to me and different in a way that I made connections with people that I never thought I would. I was surprised by the amount of respect that the community members showed to the vendors at the fair. Coming from the Bronx with the violence surrounding me changed me and made me realize that bullying is a troubling issue because it’s a significant cause of suicide and it’s not fair to parents that are having trouble raising their kids. I believe we can make a change through programs such as sports events, and music events which can help struggling people take their minds off their commitments. I feel that I came out of this event with more knowledge about programs that can help heal my community.
Moving forward I hope to connect more with event organizers and open their minds to programs and events that can entertain people that have experienced being bullied. In the future, I hope to develop resources for bullied students and help them heal through therapy. Two significant ways I believe can sustain and improve the behavior of bullies and bullied students are programs just for them and events that encouraged healthy outlets of stress such as art, sports, and music.
By: Shareff
Youth Advocacy Corps 