Pink Shirt Day is February 23, 2022
The Pink Shirt Day movement began in Nova Scotia when students David Shepherd and Travis Price organized a protest to wear pink in order to support their fellow Grade 9 student who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Now their care and concern is a movement, that is celebrated across the globe. This peer-inspired campaign aims to prevent bullying in our schools, workplaces, homes, and online. Over the month of February, and throughout the year, Pink Shirt Day increases awareness of these issues, as well as raises funds to support programs that foster children’s healthy self-esteem.
What is Bullying?
The act of bullying refers to when someone intentionally hurts someone they perceive as weaker than themselves. Bullying can cause a great deal of pain that lasts a long time and is repeated time and time again. It may even lead to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
Types of Bullying
Bullying happens in many ways, but some common forms of bullying are verbal bullying, physical bullying, social bullying, and cyberbullying.
- Physical bullying: it is a type of bullying using physical force or aggression against another person (e.g., hitting, pushing, shoving, kicking etc.)
- Verbal bullying: includes using words to verbally attack someone (e.g., name-calling, insulting, teasing etc.)
- Social bullying: trying to hurt someone through excluding them, spreading rumours or ignoring them (e.g., gossiping etc.)
- Cyberbullying: a new-age form of bullying. It is done using electronic media to threaten, embarrass, intimidate, or exclude someone, or to damage their reputation (e.g., sending threatening text messages)
What you can do.
- Proudly wear your pink shirts on February 23 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.
- Get support. Hang out with friends that will support you and work together to speak out against bullying and harassment.
- 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 behaviour.
Click here to find more resources on bullying and ways to prevent it
Click here to learn more about Pink Shirt Day