Young country singer Ryan Laird gave a lively and inspiring presentation on respect at Shortreed Elementary school this week.
The small-town Ontario born songwriter and singer has successfully transplanted himself in the Nashville country music hub with the help of superstar Taylor Swift.
However, he hasn't let that go to his head and he's paying back to youngsters, who like him when he was young, are bullied and belittled by their peers.
He's taking his message of positivity and empowerment across the country to schools like Aldergrove's Shortreed, where he performed and talked about chasing your dreams, being unique and different, and how to deal with bullies.
During middle school, Laird said he was often teased by his peers. He would later write a song called “Hey Ashley”, about growing up and dealing with a school bully from his past.
In 2014, Laird founded the National BiggerThanThat! Movement as a platform for bullying prevention and youth empowerment.
Laird is actively involved in the BiggerThanThat! Movement, performing motivational message driven music concerts at schools with the initiative to inspire youth to dream big and never allow negative influences to stand in the way of success and happiness in their lives.
He tours with a 13 song album named, "Bigger Than That" which features his message as well. The album is available on iTunes or Spotify.
