(Submitted Photo/ Sam Demma)

By Nigel Maxwell

Social media

Motivational speaker encourages youth to empty their backpacks

May 2, 2023 | 5:07 PM

A motivational speaker from Ontario says social media can be used for good but without proper boundaries can also lead to unhealthy comparisons and bullying.

Sam Demma’s cross-country “Empty your Backpack” tour will make several stops across Saskatchewan this month including Christopher Lake and Canwood.

Twenty-three-year-old Demma, who started his own journey roughly six years ago, told paNOW he was inspired by a grade 10 student he met. The student, when asked what their two goals in life were, replied to be an actor and have 10,000 followers.

“I just asked him why and he told me if he had 50,000 followers, kids at school would stop bullying him and calling him a loser. And it broke my heart,” he said.

Later that day, Demma can recall sitting in his basement and struggling with the idea of how many other youth are feeling the same way, allowing themselves to be defined by other peoples’ words.

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The cross-country tour will include 82 separate presentations and aims to help one million students overcome negative thoughts that hold them back. The large backpack Demma brings to each show, represents the high number of opinions young people are exposed to.

“And if you are carrying lots of opinions, you probably have a pretty big backpack,” he said.

The tour itself started on Mar. 20. Travelling from community to community, Demma acknowledged one of the things he has noticed is that kids even in elementary schools now have cell phones.

“Having access to social media at such an age gives students this false reality that everybody’s life is perfect because everyone online is just sharing their highlight reels and their best moments,” he said.

Demma’s tour is being done in partnership with Jack.org, one of Canada’s leading mental health charities. Ten percent of the project’s profits are being donated to them.

In addition to the obvious benefits to young students, Demma explained the part of each visit he looks most forward to is the follow-ups after the presentation.

“You know sometimes we will have a teacher reach out and say something like this person in my class has been a little off the past couple weeks and after your presentation, he finally came and told me why so thank you”

The Empty Your Backpack tour will be in Christopher Lake on May 8, and Canwood on May 9.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell