BSTRO Helps Canadian Students Combat Homophobic Bullying

Vancouver, BC – Interactive marketing and branding agency BSTRO is helping to combat the epidemic of bullying in Canadian high schools by creating an identity and microsite to celebrate the launch of the Rise Against Homophobia short video contest. The site, developed for award-winning anti-bullying program Out in Schools, encourages youth from across Canada to create a public service announcement that supports safe and diverse communities by challenging homophobic bullying in high schools.

 “We’ve all heard the tragic stories of suicide among LGBT youth in North America,” explained Jill Tracy, President and Chief Creative Officer of BSTRO. “Out in Schools encourages students to discuss the struggles of being a teenager and feeling different—with the belief that hearing each others stories will bring not only tolerance, but acceptance – BSTRO is incredibly proud to partner with them to help end homophobic bullying in high schools.”

This is the first year the Out in Schools short video contest has been available outside the province of British Columbia. To kick-off the contest, BSTRO helped organizers lead a successful national social media campaign to select the winning theme:Hate is Not a Canadian Value.

“When it comes to corporate social responsibility, BSTRO has a reputation for punching above their weight,” said Drew Dennis, Executive Director of Out in Schools. “As an agency, they have an unmatched ability to cut through the noise, delivering compelling campaigns and technological solutions that tell the Out in Schools story in engaging ways. Responsive, flexible, innovative and smart, they’re a critical part of our team.”

The Rise Against Homophobia short video contest is sponsored by the Government of Canada’s Department of Heritage, The Highbury Foundation, BSTRO and LUSH Cosmetics.