Sea to Sky students celebrate Pink Shirt Day

School students throughout the Sea to Sky corridor are taking part in Pink Shirt Day today in support of anti bullying programs in the province.

The nation-wide initiative of wearing pink begun in 2007 in Nova Scotia, when two students witnessed a younger student being bulled for wearing a pink shirt. The two students bought pink shirts and encouraged classmates to wear them and send a message of solidarity.

In a release School District 48 (SD48) says ‘the Expect Respect and A Safe Education (ERASE) Bullying strategy is part of BC’s efforts to personalize learning and supports for all students. Every child deserves an education free from discrimination, bullying, harassment, intimidation and violence.’ SD48 says they share this belief and are focused on ‘creating schools where students are free from harm, where clear expectations of acceptable behaviour are held for all members of the school community, and where there is a sense of safety and belonging for each student regardless of their gender, race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.’ To date, 50+ administrators, counselors and teachers have participated in ERASE training.

SD48 has a number of strategies to address bullying, including code of conduct reviews in classes, equity clubs and lunch time programs for students to express concerns, among others. They also say important community partnerships such as, Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS), the RCMP, Big Brothers and Sisters, Quest University, and others support their schools with these types of issues.

It’s not just schools that are celebrating Pink Shirt Day, many work places are also participating and lending their support to the initiative by either wearing a pink shirt or sporting a piece of pink clothing to spark conversation and show that bullying has no place in schools, the workplace, or online.