Gay Olympian's video message to bullied teens

Local film-making charity Number 8 Films is proud to be lending a lens to a new anti-bullying campaign for Pink Shirt Day led by gay New Zealand Olympic speed skater Blake Skjellerup.

In a video released online today and produced by the Number 8 Films team of Christopher Banks and Andy Jalfon, Skjellerup talks of his own experiences of being bullied at high school because of his sexuality. He encourages youth who have been bullied themselves to write to Prime Minister John Key and tell their story, so he can help make schools safe for all students.
“After I left school, everything got better,” Skjellerup says in the video. “I believe that you shouldn’t have to wait to leave school for things to get better. We can change things now. Bullying can affect anyone, regardless of race, sexuality or gender.”

Number 8 Films has worked in collaboration with a number of queer youth groups up and down the country to produce the campaign video, including Q-Youth, Rainbow Youth, and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.

“Bullying was a major issue for me at high school in the 1990s, and some of the stories I hear now from gay youth and other young people both frighten and frustrate me,” says Christopher Banks, creative director at Number 8 Films. “Only last week I spoke with a 15-year-old boy who had some bullies try and run him over in a car because he was gay. This story is one of many, and it’s just not acceptable.”

Andy Jalfon, head of production at Number 8 Films, says storytelling is a vital part of social change. “Through our films, we focus on stories and documentaries about characters and people who don’t normally get time on screen. We’re proud to be supporting Blake, the queer youth groups and the Mental Health Foundation in encouraging young people to get their stories heard, irrespective of their sexuality.”

Says Banks: “We’ve heard the evidence, we know from the Youth07 study that more than half of New Zealand’s gay students have been hit or physically harmed in the last year, but these personal stories will bring life to the horrifying facts, and hopefully encourage some action to be taken.”

Pink Shirt Day is on Thursday April 14th. Students can log on to www.pinkshirtday.org.nz and send their letters directly to the Prime Minister via the website before then, or they can download information to write and send in their own letter.

View the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUk4jYPFzng