This year, Pink Shirt Day, or Anti-Bullying Day, is on February 24.
It is a day when people come together by wearing pink shirts to school or work to show they are against bullying.
You can wear a pink shirt to school or wear one at home if your school is doing distanced e-learning.
Bullying is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and over the Internet. Each year, on Pink T-Shirt Day, I encourage all of you to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a society will not tolerate bullying anywhere. Take the message and remember it all year long.
It is so important that victims of bullying know they are not alone and there are help and support available. Wearing a pink shirt on this day sends a strong message to them that others care. Often, the simple act of wearing a shirt can start conversations – conversations can be a big step towards healing and helping!
Why Pink shirt day?
Pink Shirt Day has been a school-board-wide initiative held in February for the past few years. As stated in the name, we wear pink shirts. But, why? Imagine this. You wake up, and it is the first day of school. You are nervous and excited about what is to come. There are so many questions running through your head. Will you be in the same class as your friends? Will your teachers be nice? Will you get good grades this year? You pick out a nice outfit, brush your teeth, have some breakfast, and get ready to leave the house. You finally arrive at school and try to calm all the questions and thoughts rushing through your head. Then out of nowhere, this day becomes one of the worst days of your life. In 2007, this was the reality for a gay high school teen in Berwick, Nova Scotia. It was Charles McNeill’s first day of grade 9, and he was bullied simply for wearing pink. The intimidators did not care if Charles was a smart, kind, creative, funny, or athletic student. Charles was bullied for what he wore. He was made fun of and made to feel less. Two bystanders witnessed this bullying and they were able to put themselves in Charles’ shoes. They decided to help. David Shepherd and Travis Price bought and distributed 50 pink shirts to other students in the school. They asked all 50 students to wear their shirts together to create a united sea of pink. The bullies saw the unity of the school, and the bullying stopped. Charles felt supported and cared for by his peers. This one action not only helped Charles but also created a movement that carries a message of unity and caring for others all across Canada. Pink Shirt Day is a simple but immense act of kindness. The color you wear does not determine anything about you. It is simply a color. On Pink Shirt Day, we are reminded of the importance of supporting one another and saying no to bullying. However, we must encourage ourselves and one another to show this compassion and empathy daily. Thank you to all who take a stand against bullying.
Pink shirt day is now world spread antibullying day.
Bullying is when someone deliberately tries to hurt someone else they think is weaker than they are. In many cases, bullying is repeated over and over and can cause a lot of pain that lasts a long time. It can even lead to things like depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
Bullying happens in many ways, but some common forms of bullying are verbal (teasing, name-calling), physical (hitting, kicking, pushing, breaking someone’s toys or favorite things), or social (leaving someone out, spreading rumors).
Cyberbullying is using social media or other technology like texting to threaten, embarrass or even damage a person’s reputation.
What we all can do?
- Proudly wear your pink shirts to show that you stand up against bullying!
- If you see someone being bullied or you’re being bullied, talk to a trusted grownup about it.
- When someone is being bullied, in person or online, stand up for them so that they know that they don’t deserve to be bullied.
- Don’t encourage bullying by participating in bullying behavior.
Here on these links, you can find cool videos and games to recommend to your children and students in school:
120 creative ideas to stop bullying on Pinterest
“The primary purpose of education is not only to develop knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes and to embed fundamental values but also to help young people […] to become active, responsible, open-minded members of society. Children and young people represent our future and must have the opportunity to shape that future. […] We must build on children’s and young people’s sense of initiative and the positive contribution they can make through participation while reaffirming the common fundamental values on which our democracies are based.”
Bullin can bring a lot of negative effects to both the victim and the bully itself. For the bully, he/she would be looked down on the society in the future. Also, the bully would grow up with aggressive and disruptive behavior which would lead to depression and alienation. This is because when a person is being aggressive the people around him wouldn’t want to mix around with him and this will lead him to become lonely therefore this can lead to depression. as for the victim, his self-esteem would decrease to an all-time low.
Bullying is a real issue and needs to be taken seriously, especially now in this time of digital/distance/online learning. The 16th U.S President Abraham Lincoln said “I would rather be a little nobody than to be an evil somebody”.
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