Niagara Foundation is excited to host Patrick Dati, an anti-bullying advocate and child abuse prevention spokesman, at our upcoming Chicago & Education Forum: Tackling Bullying on Chicago School Campuses on Monday, March 23 from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM. At the forum, which focuses on bullying and its effects on a child’s educational capacity, Dati will discuss his own experiences with bullying and the anti-bullying work he conducts today.
Dati has a personal stake in the anti-bullying cause, having been bullied himself. After being raped by notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy at the age of nine, he kept the jarring incident a secret. At the same time, Dati endured severe bullying at the hands of his older brother over the course of 20 years.
Today, Dati is involved in numerous anti-bullying and anti-abuse ventures. He collaborates with many organizations dealing with anti-bullying and its residual effects, including Teach Antibullying, Inc., Institute for Traumatic Stress, RAINN, Peerabuse.net, and his own platform, “You and me can stop bullies!”.
Beyond organizational work, Dati is an author. His memoir, I AM ME: Survivor Of Child Abuse And Bullying Speaks Out, chronicles his struggles with rape, sibling bullying, coming out and the journey he took to become who he is today. He has also developed domestic violence curriculum used for classroom training for health and human services.
Underpinning all of his work, Dati is a devoted advocate for anti-bullying, LGBTQ rights and domestic violence awareness. Dati noted that one of his main objectives in his activism is to be a rare male voice speaking out against domestic and sexual abuse–abuse which a shocking 85% of male victims do not disclose.
And a strong male voice he is indeed. Dati’s notable accomplishments–penning a poignant memoir, raising awareness as a motivational speaker and appearing in numerous Chicago media outlets to speak about anti-bullying–have certainly defined him as a prominent activist.
Join us at the Chicago & Education Forum to hear Dati speak firsthand. Register here, and learn more about Patrick Dati at his website.