EDMONTON – Many Edmonton schools exuded pink Wednesday, as students and staff joined in a nation-wide initiative, taking a stand against bullying.
“Everybody is doing something to be a part of something bigger than just themselves,” said Rebecca Lappa, a Grade 11 student who took part in Pink Shirt Day at Victoria School of the Arts.
Pink Shirt Day started in Nova Scotia in 2007, after two high school-aged boys witnessed a younger boy being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The following day, the older students brought pink shirts for dozens of their friends to wear as a show of solidarity for the boy.
And the movement has grown ever since. In a room filled with her peers Wednesday morning, Lappa performed a song she co-wrote based on her own experiences with bullying.
“It was mostly to, I guess, get release from the bullying I’d experienced through junior high,” she explained.
“To be able to express it, she goes from being a victim to a survivor to a thriver,” added the school’s Coordinator of Counselling, Mary Frances-Fitzgerald. “So now she’s an advocate and by her work, she’s being a leader.”
It wasn’t just schools that were turned into a sea of pink; several businesses also had a pink hue about them. On business in Ottawa, Mayor Don Iveson sported a pink tie to show his support.
“Some of my council colleagues were wearing pink today, too. This is just important to raise awareness and talk about how it’s unacceptable in our communities and bullying needs to be tackled, we need to talk about it. And wearing pink today is just one way to promote that conversation.”
Back at home, students and staff at Monsignor Fee Otterson School in southwest Edmonton added their own flare to the day by wearing shirts with ‘We Belong’ printed on the back. While the shirts weren’t pink, students say the message they’re sending is the same.
“Everybody belongs,” said Grade 7 student Jenna Valjak. “We like to keep a positive influence on the day and how we show how we belong to the many groups in the society and how we’re all different.”
Watch below: Pink Shirt Day in Edmonton
For more information on Pink Shirt Day, visit the organization’s website.
With files from Shane Jones, Global News.
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