I know I have, an I’m writing this today to start a mission. Throughout my life, I’ve gone through many struggles and hardships to make it to where I am today but the one thing that used to stop me was the overwhelming amount of bullying that occurred since I started following my dream. I want to make a change. I want to give kids a chance to overcome their challenges, face their bullies, and help their friends. I want to give them the chance to shine. I’ve thought about it for a while and finally came up with a positive way to try to end bullying, or at least make each child stronger and more confident.

Since middle school, I was always teased because I had a dream and no one understood me. I was told I couldn't do anything in life, and no one ever noticed. I wasn't the only one who experienced this, not only in middle school but in high school as well. Not only by my peers, but even my teachers. I felt as if none of the faculty ever realized it, and now that I'm older it's become an increasingly known problem in all schools. My goal, is to stop it.

However, my story isn't about me, and the message I'm trying to spread isn't because of my hardships and struggles. The story I'm fighting for, and the people I dedicate my campaign to, is my fans. I dedicate this to the kids who don't have a voice, and the ones who aren't heard. My goal is to help them become noticed. 

A few years back, I started succeeding in my passion, music. I started gaining a fan base and an outreach beyond my control. After the tragic loss of one of my fan's due to suicide, caused by bullying; I realized there was nothing I could fix in the past, but that I could change the future. I decided to use my passion, strength, power, and voice to speak to others and help them not only realize that they're not alone but that there's a way to help others too. That what people say shouldn't matter. BUT kids don't listen to adults, or professors from yale, or teachers; they turn to their peers. I lead my program in the direction to speaking to kids in a Peer to Peer way, as a kid in the 2000's who knows what they're going through. A young adult who has experienced bullying in the new age (school, cyber bullying, work bullying, sports, and activities, in and out of school) I show them that I know how it feels, I've been there with them, at the same time that they have. I speak to them in a fun interactive way leaving them at the end ready to make a change.

Music is the universal language. No matter how old you are, where you're from, your religion, your race, EVERYONE listens to music. Being a musician I've not only incorporated youth in my presentation but a message through music, in a live performance. It's their ears hearing the cry for help, their movement in enjoyment to the music, but their eyes seeing the pain that actions and words have caused. It's also my delivery of what can happen when you ignore what people say. It's the hope that every kid has to achieve their dreams, and seeing someone who came from their district on a stage pursuing their passion through the hardship and struggle. I've seen kids who their school said "had no hope" asking how to help. I've seen kids who were ready to give their lives up cry, hug me, and say "thank you". 

"Belive in youself, follow your dreams, become the VeRoleModel everyone looks up to."

-Veronica Kole