By Dominic Abassi

Nanaimo artist using song, music video to push anti-bullying message

Feb 22, 2017 | 5:19 PM

NANAIMO — Using hip-hop music as an outlet to heal from pain and help others find a way to cope with their own struggle.

That’s the mission of a Nanaimo artist using his musical talent to spread an anti-bullying message around Vancouver Island. Matt Sirreal Dunae has performed his song Words Like Weapons in schools from Victoria to Alert Bay, in front of more than 5,000 students. On Wednesday, in conjunction with Pink Shirt Day, Dunae released a music video for the song to continue to spread the positive message.

Dunae, who is also a crisis intervention worker and facilitator/trainer for the Nanaimo-based Vancouver Island Crisis Society, said the song is a real story, based on his rough experiences as a young student and honours the memory of someone that stepped up to support him.

“I was picked on because I came from a really poor home, didn’t always have the nicest clothes. Some other kids decided to pick on me,” he said. “Another young man took it upon himself to try and upgrade that situation so that those kids, maybe even for a minute, would stop bullying me…the power of connection, generosity and compassion and how it can change your perspective.”

Dunae said he reconnected with Brendan Garnish, who gave him a newer pair of shoes to wear as a kid, later in life to share the impact he had. Dunae said Brendan and his father Frank have both since passed away.

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The message behind the song is having an impact, Dunae said.

“One of the bullies actually heard the song and had emailed me. He broke down how he was bullied the year before and he shouldn’t have been a bully but he fell into the crowd and how much the song had made him see that. It changed his life from that point forward.

“I had a grown man call me crying this morning, saying ‘it really touched me, it really affected me.’”

Crisis work finds you, Dunae said. Both his father and brother took their own lives. While he was reeling from the death of his brother, he stumbled upon the Crisis Society’s Soles Remembering Souls event. It was there that he shared his story and his music.

“They had listened to it and decided it might be good to bring me in…so I went and told them my story, performed a couple of my tracks. They really gravitated towards it, the kids really related to it.”

Dunae said music is the vehicle for his self-expression. He hopes people can find their own outlet when they’re feeling pain to help them “make healthier coping choices.”

He describes Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools as one of the “most progressive” climates when it comes to combating bullying.

“We work very closely with the school in developing protocols for noticing students. We’re teaching kids at younger ages to be noticers and connectors so that those people can feel less alone if they’re in that place. Wearing a pink shirt does bring awareness to it…things only get handled when awareness is brought to them.”

Dunae thanked many for their role in making the video: Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools, Jacqui Kaese, Dean Chadwick, Defiler Productions and Jona Kristinsson, among others.

You can learn more about Sirreal’s music at his website or Facebook page.

dominic.abassi@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @domabassi