She sings, writes songs and launched a massive campaign to stop bullying. In this morning’s Parent to Parent, 7’s Lynn Martinez introduces us to a local teen who is combining her music with a very important message.
WSVN — Since she was a little girl, Lizzie Sider has always loved singing and performing.
Lizzie Sider: “I just loved being on stage and acting and singing and dancing with other people.”
Now 15, this Boca Raton native is taking the music world by storm with her country-pop songs but there is a message behind her music.
Lizzie is using her voice to reach out to kids across the country, who share a very common experience with her, they too have been bullied.
Lizzie Sider: “I remember coming home crying almost every single day because they would exclude me, they would laugh at me, they would call me names.”
The situation didn’t change until she told her parents what was going on.
Lizzie Sider: “Something that helped me through, was something my dad told me when I left school one day. He said, ‘Nobody has the power to ruin your day.'”
She took the advice to heart and decided to take her love of music and her anti-bullying message directly to the schools.
Students at RISE Academy in Lauderhill opened up about the effects of teasing and bullying and joined Lizzie for singing and dancing.
Lizzie Sider: “This tour is not only about anti-bullying but also positivity and self-esteem and never giving up.”
She ends every event by singing “Butterfly,” a song she wrote about what it’s like to be a victim of bullying.
Jaheim Barrett: “I think it was amazing.”
Jaheim is among many seventh graders who agree that Lizzie’s message is powerful.
Jaheim Barrett: “The fact that if she could go through that and have the courage to tell all of us, I think that’s pretty much spectacular.”
Alexisa Williams: “I feel bad for the people going through it. I feel bad she went through it. I just hope that bullying will stop one day.”
Lizzie encourages kids to break the silence about bullying by talking to someone they trust and never giving up on your dreams.
Lizzie Sider: “No one has the power to knock you down, that you just have to rise above it and believe in yourself.”
Lynn Martinez: Lizzie is on a 100 school tour of Florida and then she will head to Texas. Her song, “Butterfly” hit the top 40 on the charts in Nashville.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.LizzieSider.com