Teen Nation Anti-Bullying Music Tour Rocks Motor City

The Teen Nation Tour – a year-long anti-bullying campaign and concert tour featuring teen recording artists – will perform for the first time in Michigan at 12 metro Detroit area schools and three weekend performances, reaching more than 12,000 students and administrators in the tour that ends May 9.

The Teen Nation Tour is like no other anti-bullying effort. Young, talented recording artists travel the nation performing, educating, and empowering peers through music and personal stories. On weekends, the tour holds public concerts without the anti-bullying message at non-school venues such as malls, theaters, and more.

The school program is 90 minutes of engaging content. Students learn about bullying types, prevention, where to turn when it occurs, and more. The campaign is effective because the artists approach this important topic by relating to youth on their own level, sharing personal experiences and offering tips on how together they can stand and defend against bullying.

Headlining the metro Detroit tour is former "X Factor" contestant J Ryan, 14, of San Antonio, Texas. Additional guest performers include; Faith Marie Shirley, 15 of San Antonio, Texas; Collin Kozola, 17, of Naperville, Ill.; Katie Akin, 14, of Atlanta, GA; and rock band of brothers RebelMann from Chicago.

The Detroit Teen Nation Tour includes the following school performances:

• Friday, May 2: Prevail Academy, Mt. Clemens, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Monday, May 5: Franklin Middle School, Wayne, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 6: Stevenson Middle School, Westland, 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
• Friday, May 9: East Hills Middle School, Bloomfield Hills, 9:30 a.m.

In addition to school performances, the Teen Nation Tour will hold three public concerts this weekend:

• A free concert presented by nonprofit Building Better Families Through Action is scheduled Friday, May 2 at Birmingham Groves High School in Beverly Hills. The event starts with an artist red carpet arrival at 6 p.m., concert at 7 p.m., and artist meet-and-greet at 8:30 p.m.
• A fundraising concert with all proceeds to benefit the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation, an incurable brain condition that affects more than one million Americans, will be held on Saturday, May 3 at the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources. Miss Michigan Captivating 2014 Mikayla Pekala will serve as celebrity event host. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 6-12, and free for kids under six. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with an artist red carpet arrival at 6 p.m. The concert is at 7 p.m. Tickets are available in advance by calling (810) 441-9170.
• The tour will also hold a benefit concert on Sunday, May 4 with all proceeds to benefit a Jefferson Elementary student in Sterling Heights who is currently fighting cancer. The concert will be held at the Warren Consolidated School of Performing Arts in Sterling Heights. Tickets are $5 at the door or call (586) 825-2680. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., the concert begins at 3 p.m., and an artist meet-and-greet at 4:30 p.m.

The Teen Nation Tour, made possible in part by Alternative Revenue Development of Troy, Mich. and their UNITE school fundraising program, will next visit Pittsburgh, PA starting May 12. This year, the tour is scheduled to perform at more than 330 school and public venues in about 40 cities, 22 states, reaching an estimated half-million people.

For sponsorship, school, artist, and tour booking information, call (877) 837-7833 or visit www.teennationtour.com, Facebook, or follow on Twitter @TeenNationTour.

About Teen Nation Tour

The Teen Nation Tour is a peer-to-peer anti-bullying campaign and concert tour featuring young recording artists who perform and speak at schools and other venues across America. Lee Wilson founded Teen Nation Tour after his son was bullied and injured on a school bus. In late 2013, the volunteer run Teen Nation Tour was bolstered by a strategic partnership with Alternative Revenue Development of Troy, Mich. The Teen Nation Tour is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.