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Felicia Punzo asked an auditorium full of fifth through eighth graders all kinds of questions Friday afternoon at the Girard Academic Music Program, 2136 Ritner St. For some, in order to incentivize speaking out in front of their peers, they got a rubbery bracelet. But some inquiries simply asked for a show of hands.
“So how many people here have been bullied before?” Punzo, a graduate of Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., asked.
A strong majority raised their hands, nearly 80 percent.
“How many of you have been a bully?” she posed.
Almost the exact amount of hands went up. And it looks like the time-tested tradition of prank phone-calling is still alive and well. When asked “How many of you have gotten a prank phone call?,” it was hard to spot a hand that wasn’t raised.
The first event in an anti-bullying campaign coordinated by Punzo through 2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson included a well-received presentation by the budding 20-year-old South Philadelphia recording artist. But Johnson was able to impart some words of urgency through a statement issued that day, too.
“[Bullying] is a problem that is destructive to our children and to our future. We need our kids to have a safe and welcoming environment so that they can achieve,” he explained. “Silence is no longer an acceptable response to bullying.”
Though generational gaps often exaggerate and hyperbolize the changing experiences of grandparents’ education as opposed to their grandchildrens’, it’s hard to deny that there’s a new facet of bullying: Cyber-bullying.
Another question by Punzo that would’ve raised eyebrows for anyone older than, say, 21? “How many people here are on Twitter?” Approximately three quarters of the teens’ hands went up. “How many people here are on Instagram?” Almost every hand rose.
Students are going through middle and high school, almost all of them, with a smartphone as close to them as their books and notebooks.
Punzo was personal and honest with the teens in her captive audience.
“I was bullied tremendously in high school. With the arts, not a lot of people understand what we go through,” she added, appealing to the Girard Estate-based magnet arts school’s arts-friendly student body.
“When I got into high school, I recorded music. It was a way for me to express myself. In high school, I was the shy type because I was so into my music and afraid to express myself to my peers,” she admitted.
She was called fat, ridiculed as ugly and told she can’t make it.
“I’m 20 years old and I’m still dealing with it,” Punzo said.
Hopefully, with programs like hers and other youth-oriented anti-bullying campaigns, students across the city are learning how to confront and temper their peers’ attempts at making weaker and quieter students suffer for their gain.
“Who’s involved in bullying?” Punzo asked.
“People that surround you,” one student shouted. “The bullies, the victims and the bystanders,” another said.
“What are some tips you would give to overcome being bullied?” she asked.
Hands were up from wall to wall.
“Stand up to the bully,” one student said.
“Tell a teacher,” another added.
“Just walk away from the situation,” “Tell your parents,” “Try not to show emotions,” “Act like it doesn’t bother you,” and “Have a good group of friends around you” all earned audience members bracelets.
Point Breeze native Johnson helped kick off his and Punzo’s anti-bullying campaign by touting Punzo’s eagerness to make a difference and selflessness in this pursuit.
“Every time I talk to Felicia, every time I have the opportunity to participate with her, she’s always trying to inspire the young people of South Philadelphia but also in the City of Philadelphia,” he said as he introduced 1st District Philadelphia Police Captain Lou Campione.
Campione and Community Relations Police officer Paul Bryson were on hand to honor the passing of the late Judge Anthony DeFino and slain police officer Charles Knox.
Knox “was on duty and responded to a robbery in progress at Broad [Street] and Snyder [Avenue]. Two bullies decided they were going to rob Roy Rogers at gunpoint and unfortunately Knox died as a result of his injuries,” Campione said.
His comments lined up with Punzo’s message: “Keep their memories alive and the way to do that is to be the best person that you can be.”
Punzo, not far from childhood and challenging teenage years, addresses the difficulty of growing up in a song she created just for her campaign: “I’m Just A Kid.”
“I’m just a kid, trying to figure it out and it’s not easy,” she sang to a rapt audience. “Don’t ever hide it – don’t ever hide from who you wanna be.”
Her presentation spoke not just to standing up to bullies but also to building and protecting young folks’ self-esteem.
Punzo, who intends to hold further gatherings at Chester Arthur School, 2000 Catharine St.; George W. Childs School, 1599 S. 17th St.; and Mastery Charter Thomas Campus, 927 Johnston St., pulled up 10 volunteers for a segment she called “Ten Tips to Build Self-Esteem” with an acrostic poem: “S – share your problems with someone special. E – educate yourself to make good choices. L – learn to respect yourself. F – follow the advice of the people you love. E – expand your unique talents and practice. S – Stay safe, away from gangs, alcohol and other drugs. T – think before you act; you can be a problem-solver. E – earn the respect of your family and act responsibly. E – everyone makes mistakes; don’t stop trying. M – make the best of who you are and your dreams will come true.”
The presentation, in the long run, aims to prevent bullying from taking things too far. As Johnson noted in his statement: “In some cases, bullying has led to devastating consequences, such as school shootings and suicide.”
With a silver lining, however, he noted that it can be stopped, especially when friends make an effort.
“More than 55 percent of bullying situations will stop when a peer intervenes,” he said. ■
Contact Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117. Comment at southphillyreview.com/news/features.
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