“I’m not the only kid who grew up this way, surrounded by people who used to say that rhyme about sticks and stones. As if broken bones hurt more than the names we got called—and we got called them all. So we grew up believing no one would ever fall in love with us, that we’d be lonely forever.”

~ Shayne Koyczan

The first time I heard Shane Koyczan perform was at the Artswells Festival in Wells, British Columbia. I was fortunate to have heard him in such an intimate and quiet setting. Amongst his original pieces, he also performed Anis Mojgani’s Shake the Dust.

I was floored. His words hit my heart, brought tears to my eyes. This was a powerful voice.

From the start, it was clear that his purpose was to speak for those whose voices don’t get heard, no matter how loud they cry out.

Amanda Todd’s suicide in October 2012 was a perfectly tragic example of this. Her death brought the (cyber) bullying issue front and centre.

It made me think about how many youth today are—well, lost. Lost in ways that weren’t possible to imagine back in previous generations.

So when Shane and a team of B.C.-based talent produced this video (which quickly went viral), my heart swelled with hope.

Please watch, share, repeat.

Learn more about Shane’s To This Day Project. 

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