Anti-bullying group fundraising to replace stolen gear

CITY CENTRE — Devon Hallgate wants to make teenagers feel beautiful again.

Last year, the Surrey Urban Mission (SUM) volunteer started Skin N Bones, a group that promotes positive body image for youth and takes a stand against bullying. What began as a mere Facebook page has since turned into a support network of 11 teens, giving them an outlet to get away from the negativity in their lives.

“I saw this girl on Twitter saying that she wanted to kill herself,” said Hallgate. “She was 16 and she was complaining about her body size.”

Having been bullied herself as a teenager, Hallgate decided to provide a safe haven for bullying victims – somewhere they could be themselves without the fear of harassment from others.

“I remembered all of the things that I went through at 16 and I wanted to create something that would just make people smile. But when I started it, I didn’t have any idea what it was going to become.”

Somewhere along the way, Hallgate started taking photos of the members, bringing out their personalities through portraits while redefining society’s definition of beauty.

“The idea is that anybody is beautiful,” she said. “Beauty comes in different sizes and different shapes and different colours.”

But just before Christmas, when the SUM opened up as an extreme weather shelter, Hallgate’s camera and laptop were brazenly stolen one night, out of the sight of mission members. The laptop contained hundreds, if not thousands, of photos, as well as testimonials and stories that the teens were writing for the group’s website.

“We’ve lost everything – we’re now essentially starting from scratch,” she said.

On a hunch, Hallgate went around the neighbourhood talking to locals about the stolen items, which prompted someone to return the laptop. However, she could not retrieve any files from it, and the camera was never returned.

Now, Hallgate has started an Indiegogo campaign to replace the stolen goods. She has set a $10,000 fundraising goal to buy and insure a new camera and laptop, restock art supplies for the rest of the year, provide the teens with tools to design and print their own anti-bullying T-shirts, and cover fees for Skin N Bones’ tents at the Fusion Festival and Surrey Pride Festival.

Recognizing that $10,000 is a lot of money, Hallgate noted that unlike Kickstarter, Indiegogo will still give the mission however much money is pledged, even if the fundraising goal is not met. Any amount would mean a lot to the youth, who have each shared deeply personal stories about eating disorders, bullying victimization and suicide attempts with Hallgate.

“Those two items alone have enabled these kids to have self-confidence and self-empowerment that they didn’t have before,” she said. “It’s not just a laptop and a camera.”

To give to the campaign, visit igg.me/at/snbglobal. For more information about Skin N Bones, visit skinnbonesglobal.com or facebook.com/skinnbonesglobal.