When Grade 11 Ecole Plamondon student Danika Sehn entered an anti-bullying poster contest, which was put together by the Drayton Valley Family and Community Support Services in co-operation with the Pembina Crisis Connection Society, she never dreamed she would win.
“I heard about the contest from my sister, who works at a school in Drayton Valley,” said Sehn, whose design was chosen out of 23 entries by students in Drayton Valley and outside the municipality, Her winning submission earned Sehn an iPod as well as a digitized version of her artwork.
The student said she drew on her own experiences for her submission.
“I’ve been bullied all of my life, and this seemed like a good way to give back to my community and take a stand against bullying.”
Sehn, 17, has experienced both verbal and physical bullying. She said she was kicked in the jaw resulting in a permanent injury, and had someone singe her hair. Her winning design reflects how she envisions bullying and how it can be counteracted. Her design incorporates all of those elements.
“The universal symbol for bullying, from my own experience, is a closed fist punching, and I thought of how a hand held up protects the community behind it, so I combined those images. I was really excited to see it digitized.”
The graphic has already been printed on t-shirts, and will be used in other promotional material in Drayton Valley, a town that declared its support in making the municipality bullying free this summer.
Sehn hopes to take the design to organizations in Plamondon and Lac La Biche to promote anti-bullying messages. She said experiencing it personally has been a negative experience, but it’s made her the strong and caring person she is today.
“In hindsight, I don’t think I’d be the same person without those experiences. It’s made me stronger and made me want to make a difference.”