As I sit and reflect about the importance of Pink Shirt Day, I cannot help but feel proud of all of the students across Canada who have joined together to take a stand against bullying.  All of us, no matter our size, shape, age, or gender, have most likely been bullied, have been the bystander, and at some point in our life, probably been a bully.  With so much more awareness and education today, we can assume we will have a society that has a lot less incidents of this occurring.  However, there continues to be a problem.  Can we totally erase all aspects of bullying?  Can we ensure that all children are safe at all times?  We hope so but that is most likely not the case. What we can ensure is that we give students the confidence and tools to address an issue or situation when it occurs.  We need to teach children alternatives: becoming good citizens, reporting incidents, being kind, and compassionate to each other.

Don’t Laugh At Me is a wonderful book/video that makes a big impact on students and adults alike.    Students working together can make a huge difference to how everyone feels in a school or community.  Acceptance and friendship, along with a positive school and community culture, make a difference to how individuals feel.    The Pink Project 2012  is one event that occurred in Vancouver in 2012 to bring the Pink Shirt Day message home to students in B.C.   We hope our own flashmob tomorrow will have such an impact on the students at Robert Ogilvie School.

Encouraging students to Be A Buddy, Not a Bully  and to be Bucketfillers  instead creates positive environments.  Imagine how our lives would be different if we could use these ideas daily ~ I wonder how these birds could have reacted differently to make an inclusive, friendly environment?  Thumper’s words speak to the idea of a peaceful, nuturing environment.  Pink Shirt Day may be celebrated the last Wednesday of February yearly. But it is something we should model and exemplify daily.

  Student Joel Koehn  is in Mexico and sent us this picture of himself supporting Pink Shirt Day. We are glad you brought your shirt with you to support Pink Shirt Day Joel!