The Sunshine Coast is encouraged to wear pink next Wednesday to show support and take a stand against bullying and the role our communities play in its intolerance.
Wednesday, Feb. 23, is Pink Shirt Day. The day was started several years ago by two Nova Scotia youths who, after seeing a classmate being harassed by bullies for wearing a pink T-shirt, decided to take a stand. After distributing pink T-shirts to other students to wear in protest of bullying, this day of support quickly spread to a national, annual event.
In addition to wearing pink, students and community members, are encouraged to discuss issues of bullying and how to prevent it in schools and the workplace.
School District No. 46 (SD46) has a wide variety of activities in place at each school to raise awareness of bullying. Both elementary and secondary students attended a recent Highway 46 meeting, a student-focused talkback session put on by the district. While there are many forms of bullying, SD46 is focused on technology and cyber-bullying this year.
Assistant superintendent Tom Hierck said that while cyber-bullying has not been an issue in schools so far, he doesn't want to see it suddenly explode.
"Through our talkback sessions, students have said how easy it is to get around Internet security measures," said Hierck. "Hearing this gave us our 'a-ha' moment. Every student should feel secure. While there is never a 100 per cent foolproof method to prevent bullying, knowledge and education is a key piece."
Show your support and wear something pink on Feb. 23, or purchase a T-shirt from London Drugs, where 100 per cent of proceeds from the sales will go to the Boys and Girls Club and its satellite programs throughout the country.
