It happens everywhere and affects everyone. Bullying occurs in schools, in the workplace and even online.
Feb. 24 is Pink Shirt Day, a day for Canadians, Albertans and Innisfailians to stand up to bullying.
Today that message is resonating with students across Canada, including those in Central Alberta and Innisfail, as schools present anti-bullying campaigns and events to mark the day.
Pink Shirt Day is an anti-bullying initiative that first started in 2007 when two Nova Scotia students decided to take action after witnessing a younger student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. The students bought 50 pink T-shirts and encouraged schoolmates to wear them to send a powerful message of solidarity.
“We promote the day and encourage staff and students to wear pink,” said Danica Martin, principal at Innisfail Middle School. “We will be honouring the day as a school and we will be celebrating the importance of that event with our school. Classroom instruction will focus around the importance of and meaning behind Pink Shirt Day.”
The approach to anti-bullying, noted Martin, goes beyond just one day.
“We look at kindness and anti-bullying throughout the year,” she said. “This week is random acts of kindness week so we have students engaged in performing random acts of kindness. It's a lead-up to that day on February 24.”
She noted days like Pink Shirt Day are an important reminder for students to help raise awareness about bullying inside and outside of the classroom.
“Peer groups are a really important part of students' development at the middle school,” she said. “On a daily basis we're looking at how to provide our students with skills and abilities for dealing with peer conflict, social conflict and situations of bullying.”
Martin said it's a message that is getting across to students.
“As a school community any time you can talk about these issues, bring them to light, and can teach around them -- teach kids how to appropriately interact with each other and how to deal with things when they do happen, you see those improvements and progress,” said Martin.
Other schools in the area including those in Bowden, Penhold and Spruce View are also holding events on Pink Shirt Day.
“We would like everyone to wear a pink shirt,” said Jean Small, teacher at Spruce View School. “We've worn pink shirts on Pink Shirt Day for the last couple of years, and this year we might do a little bit more decorating, making the front hallway pink and have pink treats for the kids who participate.”
This year's theme for Pink Shirt Day is “Kindness is: one size fits all”. A theme that students and staff will focus on, noted Small.
“We're looking at kindness videos that we can show in the classroom and have teachers discuss them with their students,” said Small.
“It helps brings an awareness that our actions do affect other people,” said Small. “And that whether we agree or disagree with their views, we always need to treat people with respect and kindness.”
Danica Martin
"On a daily basis, we're looking at how to provide our students with skills and abilities for dealing with peer conflict, social conflict and situations of bullying."
