Pink Shirt Day places the anti-bullying messages front and centre, but the organizations that participate in the annual day of action say it’s a message they try and get across every day of the year.
Staff and students in the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division will be among those who wore pink for the official Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday, Feb. 25. However, Sask Rivers. Superintendent of Schools Kelly Gerhardt said it’s a 12-month effort.
“Year-round, mental health and well-being continue to be a focus in our schools, with intentional teaching around virtues such as kindness and gratitude,” Gerhardt wrote in a statement to the Daily Herald. “The goal is to increase students’ sense of belonging and ensure that every student feels valued and connected within their school community.”
On Wednesday, Sask Rivers students were invited to wear specially designed Pink Day shirts created as part of the school division’s logo contest, or wear a pink shirt of their own.
Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division staff members pose for a photo on Pink Shirt Day in February 2020.
Gerhardt said each school plans their own activities for Pink Shirt Day, but those plans are part of a broader effort.
“We also teach about wellness (physical and mental) and how to be our best selves as we know that the way people treat others is often a direct reflection of the way they feel about themselves,” Gerhardt wrote. “We focus on digital citizenship as well.”
Schools aren’t the only institutions that take part in Pink Shirt Day activities. For nearly two decades, unions like the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have participated in the annual event.
CUPW second national vice-president Coleen Jones said they participate in Pink Shirt Day to support those who experience bullying, and to send a message that bulling is not tolerated.
“As a union, we know how to stand up when we see this behavior in our workplaces and in our communities,” Jones wrote in a statement posted to the CUPW website. “We have the power to speak up for a better society.”
Pink Shirt Day began in 2007 when a group of Grade 12 students bought and distributed 50 pink shirts after another student was bullied for wearing pink to school in Nova Scotia.
According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Child and Youth, 71 per cent of Canadian youth experience at least one form of bullying over a 12 month period. Of those who experience bullying, 42 per cent report experiencing it every month.
Name calling or insults are the most common types of bullying (59 per cent) according to the report. Being the subject of rumours is second (34 per cent) and being excluded from activities is third (32 per cent).
The report also showed that the old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me” is not accurate. Youth who experience frequently bullying are more likely to report, headaches, stomach aches, backaches, or difficulty sleeping.
Youth who are bullied monthly are also more likely to report high levels of stress in their lives.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
