Would you dare to wear a pink shirt?
In 2007, a teenaged student in Berwick, Nova Scotia was bullied for making such a simple fashion choice. Upset that this had happened at their high school, two fellow students bought 50 pink t-shirts for friends to wear as a statement of solidarity.
This simple yet effective act of kindness has evolved into a global phenomenon known as Pink Shirt Day. People around the world wear pink as a statement that bullying is not an acceptable form of behaviour.
Canada officially designated Feb. 27 as Pink Shirt Day in 2008. Now, everyone is asked to promote kindness and inclusion by wearing pink on the last Wednesday in February, which this year falls on Feb. 28.
Leading the way in teaching children that there are better ways to resolve conflict is a program called WITS. Although the origin of “using your WITS” is not known, its first documented use was in an elementary school in Esquimalt. Teachers started teaching students to:
• Walk away
• Ignore
• Talk it out and
• Seek help
“The WITS programs are proven to reduce peer victimization (bullying) and have been started in over 1400 elementary schools in Canada and now also in the USA and Europe,” says Pink Shirt Day Canada. Together, their mission is to create safe environments for children and youth.
Find out how to become involved at www.pinkshirtdaycanada.ca.
