The latest phase of TELUS’ #EndBullying initiative uses music to inspire, raise funds and spread positivity
TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In honour of Anti-Bullying and Bullying Awareness Weeks (November 12-25), TELUS has partnered with hip hop artist SonReal around the release of his new song “No More,” which encourages the public to rally against cyberbullying. The song was written by the Vancouver-based hip hop artist in support of TELUS’ #EndBullying campaign, and a portion of the profits will be donated to the recently launched TELUS Friendly Future Foundation to support cyberbullying-related programs across Canada. A fully bilingual version of “No More,” featuring Safia Nolin, is also coming in Quebec, with a short version live now. The new song is part of the latest phase in TELUS’ #EndBullying initiative, which began in May.
“Music is a universal language, and we believe that it has the power to drown out negativity online and rally Canadians behind #EndBullying,” said Jill Schnarr, vice president, Corporate Citizenship and Communications, TELUS. “We’re grateful to have partners like SonReal and Safia Nolin who are as passionate as we are about this issue, and hope we inspire others to join TELUS in our mission to end cyberbullying and make the digital world a friendlier place.”
Today TELUS is hosting an exclusive “Rap Battle for Good” event with WE at the WE Global Learning Centre in Toronto to engage local young people and spread the message of positivity. High school students from WE Schools across the Greater Toronto Area will be invited to learn and celebrate, beginning with morning programming featuring WE Rise Above, a national cyberbullying program developed by TELUS and WE that promotes positive online behaviour and creates awareness of the negative impact online words and actions have. The session will be followed by the “Rap Battle for Good,” which is a twist on a traditional rap battle that showcases the power of building up peers with messages of kindness in place of negativity. The event will be MC’d by Kardinal Offishall, and will feature rap battles by famous Toronto league, King of the Dot. SonReal will perform “No More” live at the event. SonReal will also perform “No More” in Vancouver at an exclusive pre-celebration event in advance of WE Day Family on November 21 and WE Day Vancouver on November 22.
This latest phase in the #EndBullying campaign is giving back in the following ways:
- A portion of the song profits will be donated by Black Box Recordings to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation to support #EndBullying programs.
- TELUS will give $1 to support #EndBullying programs with every TELUS Wise Digital Pledge made at telus.com/endbullying.
- To help youth rise above to end cyberbullying, TELUS will donate $25 to WE Charity for every new smartphone activation on a two-year plan made over Black Friday weekend.
The #EndBullying campaign builds on TELUS’ long-term commitment to making the digital world a friendlier place for Canadian youth. As a world-leading technology company and one of the most giving companies in the world, the TELUS team believes it has a responsibility to contribute to solving the crucial issue of cyberbullying in Canada. TELUS Wise, a free educational program established in 2013, offers workshops and materials related to digital safety and cyberbullying in partnership with organizations like PREVNet, MediaSmarts and WE. Further demonstrating their leadership in this space, TELUS has also contributed $205 million to educational partners and continues to expand the way it engages youth, most recently rolling out a new program with Hockey Canada called “The Code” to encourage players to commit to good sportsmanship both on the ice and online.
“No More” is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other streaming platforms with the bilingual version on YouTube. A music video to accompany the song is launching soon. To learn more about #EndBullying and the song, visit telus.com/endbullying.
Campaign was developed by The Greenhouse, an integrated team combining talent from Cossette Media and The&Partnership.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is Canada’s fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $13.8 billion of annual revenue and 13.1 million subscriber connections, including 9.0 million wireless subscribers, 1.8 million high-speed Internet subscribers, 1.3 million residential network access lines and 1.1 million TELUS TV customers. TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment, video and home security. TELUS is also Canada’s largest healthcare IT provider, and TELUS International delivers business process solutions around the globe.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed over $525 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 8.7 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Created in 2005 by President and CEO Darren Entwistle, TELUS’ 13 Canadian community boards and 5 International boards have led the Company’s support of grassroots charities and have contributed more than $67 million in support of 6,283 local charitable projects, enriching the lives of more than 2 million children and youth, annually. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Alexa Macdonald
TELUS Social and Media Relations
[email protected]
647-464-6754
