A visit from author Barbara Coloroso is expected to benefit Penticton in a number of ways.
Coloroso is the author of several books, including The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander, which will be the subject of her public lecture on April 20 at the Lakeside Resort.
But she’s also the author of Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide, which was inspired by her work with children orphaned by the Rwandan genocide.
 Barbara Coloroso, The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander, is making her book tour a benefit for Grandmothers for Africa. |
“The premise is that it is a short walk from schoolyard bullying to hate crimes to genocide,” said Coloroso.
In a roundabout way, that work connects to her other work in Africa, with the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Grandmothers for Africa, who raise funds to support their counterparts in Africa who suddenly find themselves raising their orphaned grandchildren.
Coloroso decided the book tour with the newly expanded version of The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander could help the other project, as she resigned from active duty on the foundation’s board after 10 years.
Lynn Popoff, an organizer for the local Grandmothers for Africa group, describes the book and lecture tour as a gift.
“As soon as we heard about it, the Penticton Grannies applied for one,” said Popoff. “She waived her fees and her publishing company is paying her expenses. When we went to David Prystay (general manager of the Lakeside Resort) to see if he would donate the ballroom, he said yes right away.
“Everything we make from this event will go directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.”
That’s exactly what Coloroso wanted to happen.
“I wanted to do something for the Granny groups,” said Coloroso. “The money they earn goes directly to grandmother groups in Africa.”
Popoff said it was probably a number of factors contributing to the local Grandmothers for Africa being chosen to host this event, starting with being one of the earliest chapters formed.
“And we were one of the first to apply. When we saw it, we just flew our application in,” said Popoff. “It’s a real win on lots of levels.”
Coloroso wrote the original version of The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander a decade ago. She said it needed to be updated because of the changes the digital world has brought to society.
“It needed to be updated and expanded because of the offline and online interconnection related to bullying,” said Coloroso, explaining that helping children to be cyber savvy seeps into the keeping them safe and savvy in the offline world as well.
“Bullying starts as young as four or five with young girls relationally targeting others: you aren’t invited to my birthday party, we are not going to accept you in our group,” said Coloroso. “How do we prevent that, but even more than that, how do we raise that fourth kid, that bravehearted kid that witnesser, resistor, defender.”
That not-so-innocent bystander can be any of us, according to Coloroso. As she is helping educate, Popoff said the Grannies are hoping the lecture will benefit by the exposure to a different audience.
“The challenge is, we are really good at contacting seniors,” said Popoff, noting that is where much of their support comes from.
“Teachers and parents are her target audience. We are expecting a very different audience and that is great for us.”
Coloroso’s lecture The Bully, The Bullied and the not so innocent Bystander, starts at 7 p.m. in the Lakeside Resort ballroom on April 20, with a book signing from 6 to 7 p.m. beforehand.
Tickets are $25 in advance, or $30 at the door, and are available at the Lakeside Resort front desk, Hooked on Books on Main Street and the Dragon’s Den on Front Street.
