Students raise awareness and lift each other up for Pink Shirt Day
The Georges Vanier Elementary Diversity Club created this display for Pink Shirt Day. This year's event encourages students to Lift Each Other Up and stand up to bullying.
Pink Shirt Day is back, encouraging students across the district and the country to show kindness to one another and put an end to bullying in schools.
The annual event began in 2007 as a small act of kindness by several Nova Scotia students after witnessing a Grade 9 classmate get bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The students wore their own pink shirts and distributed others to the boys in the school, kicking off an international movement to take a stand against bullying, intimidation and harassment.
For the third consecutive year, Pink Shirt Day has followed the motto Lift Each Other Up, inspiring students to collectively raise their spirits and support one another. A few schools have already started their acts of kindness, including Grade 4 Fraser Wood Elementary students who made artwork with encouraging messages after learning the origins of Pink Shirt Day and North Surrey Secondary students and staff who put up displays.
Princess Margaret Secondary is celebrating all week with Anti-Bullying Week, encouraging students to wear school clothing and colours yesterday (to "show we're on the same team!"), pink shirts today and multicultural clothing on Thursday for a Multicultural Day.
While Pink Shirt Day is just one day out of the year, its message serves as a reminder to exemplify kindness and care towards each other year-round. For more information, visit www.pinkshirtday.ca
What to do if you or someone you know is being bullied
Bullying comes in many forms, whether online or at school, and it's important for students, parents and staff to be aware that not all bullying is obvious or visible.
According to the Surrey Schools Protecting Surrey Students Together (PSST) website, some signs to look for if you think your child or a friend is being bullied include:
- disliking school
- having few to no friends
- lack of focus
- being quiet, withdrawn or gloomy
- being difficult or argumentative
- having unexplained injuries
- low self-esteem
- becoming easily frustrated
Some students who are getting bullied may not feel comfortable talking about it, but it's important that parents, teachers and friends maintain open communication so they may feel safe to come forward and share what they're going through.
Students are encouraged to report unsafe behaviour to trusted adults such as parents, teachers and counsellors. The district's Safe School Liaisons can provide secondary students with help if they are being harassed, and students and parents can also anonymously report unsafe or concerning incidents through the PSST 'Report It' page.
For more resources on bullying and other student safety issues, visit psst-bc.ca
