JOIN YORK REGIONAL POLICE UNDER THE STARS FOR FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT AND A LESSON ON BULLYING

York Regional Police is inviting York Region families to join them for a movie shown under the stars at the Community Safety Village of York Region located in the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville.

On Wednesday, August 26, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., a screening of The Ant Bully will be shown and free popcorn and candy floss will be available for the kids.

The movie is about Lucas Nickle, the new kid in town and the local bully, Steve. Lucas gets so fed up with being bullied, he takes out his frustration on ants in his backyard in hilarious ways, like squirting them with his garden hose or stomping on the ant hill. The ants are understandably upset so the wizard ant, Zoc, uses a potion to shrink Lucas down to ant size. Lucas is sentenced to hard labour in the ruins of the ant hill and learns to be more compassionate to the ants. He becomes an ant friend, then must become an ant hero when Stan Beals, the local pest control guy, who's an even bigger bully, comes to wipe out the entire colony. A battle ensues between the ants and Stan and Zoc reluctantly accepts that Lucas may be the ant’s only chance of survival.

As an astonishing new world opens up for Lucas, he learns first-hand the value of friendship and teamwork, ultimately leading the ants in the effort to save their colony from annihilation. In the process, Lucas obtains the things he wants most – friends, companionship, and acceptance and most importantly, the courage to stand up for himself.

In keeping with the film’s message, officers will be on-hand to talk to parents and their children about identifying the various kinds of bullying including verbal, emotional, physical and cyber-bullying. A discussion will be held regarding why bullying happens and strategies on how to stop bullying when it is happening to you or someone you know.

The Community Safety Village of York Region is located in Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area at 3291 Stouffville Road, in the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville.

For more information on Family Movie Night, contact the Community Safety Village at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7233, or visit our website at www.yrp.ca .

Don’t forget to bring a blanket!