Bullying today has more places where it can inflict harm on children at school, after school and online, magician comedians IncrediBrent and Super Sarah told a packed gym at Centennial Public School in Timmins on Friday.
IncrediBrent and Super Sarah, who themselves were bullied when young, presented a fun way of teaching children about bullying and what they should if they are bullied.
The duo was invited to Timmins by Constable Rick Lemieux to participate in the Timmins Comedy Festival which ran March 31 to April 3.
“Anti Bullying is a big part of our DARE program for grade 6 and grade 8,” said Lemieux, who helped originate DARE for Timmins Schools.
“I wanted to have them do a kid’s show to get their anti-bullying message to kids,” Lemieux added. “They were here anyways.”
The DARE program is no longer solely about anti-drugs, it’s also about life skills and decision making. The DARE decision-making model is: Define; Assess; Respond and Evaluate.
“The Timmins Police take bullying seriously and we are looking for new ways of getting our message out on how to stop bullying," said Constable Bill Field, the new DARE officer.
Sarah told the packed gym that they were going to talk about one of our least favourite things.
“And that is bullying,” Sarah revealed. “That is something both IncrediBrent and I experienced — it wasn’t something that we enjoyed.”
“But we learned how to deal with bullying,” she added, “and we are going to share them with you.”
"Super Sarah is one of the very few female magicians in Canada and she also happens to be my wife,” said IncrediBrent.
“At six feet, five inches IncrediBrent is more tree than man, but he is a valuable part of the act,” quipped Super Sarah.
IncrediBrent told the students that bullying is wrong.
“No matter where it happens it is just wrong,” he reminded the children. “We are here to teach you about the four secrets of magic.”
“These are not just secrets of magic,” IncrediBrent continued, “but they are four things you can use if you are bullied. “
The four lessons are:
- Anything is possible
- Believe in yourself
- You are not alone
- Find your Magic
The students responded overwhelmingly to the fun, fast-paced approach driven by the charm of IncrediBrent and Super Sarah who in real life are Brent and Sarah Nicholls.
Grade 6 student Abigail Anderson said she liked the presentation, especially the part about not bullying.
“My friend suffers from anxiety," said Abigail. "And I help calm her down and she helps me calm down because I have a little anxiety too.”
“The lesson I learned is not to bully and to help people who are bullied," Abigail added.
Super Sarah and IncrediBrent opened up about their being bullied.
Sarah’s was made fun of because as one of the few female magicians in Canada, some thought she wasn’t as good as male magicians. Sarah felt like quitting magic. She didn’t want to be laughed at.
A teacher helped Sarah by telling her to believe in herself and not the bullies.
“Don’t give up, believe in yourself,” IncrediBrent said. “Bullies will tear you down to make themselves feel better.”
Sarah told of celebrities like Justin Timberlake being bullied in high school because he liked drama and singing while all the boys played football.
IncrediBrent was also bullied because he liked magic but all the boys played football.
Chris Bosch, the former Toronto Raptors star, couldn’t read very well and bullies made fun of him when he tried to read.
“Taylor Swift experiences cyber bullying,” Sarah said. “Choose to be kind on Facebook. The words that you say truly matter.”
IncrediBrent and Super Sarah are in their third year working together as magicians and comedians.
This is Sarah’s second time in Timmins and Brent’s fifth.
Brent and Sarah met on Disney Cruise Lines. When the scheduled magician got sick and they filled in. They have appeared across Canada live and on YTV programs like Zoinked and the Zone.
