More than 1,500 elementary and high school students flooded the University of Regina gymnasium in support of the Canadian Red Cross’ annual Pink Day event.
Pink Day started ten years ago in Nova Scotia when a student was bullied at school for wearing a pink T-shirt.
Since then, it’s become an international movement and has grown to more than 30 countries.
“We have 1500 kids that are coming here to be motivated, pumped up to go back to their schools and take part in not only in Pink Day, but making every day Pink Day,” co-founder Travis Price said.
The message for the students was loud and clear: Be someone’s hero.
Speakers at the event said they want to remind students to step in when they see someone being bullied.
“Making sure that every day we have champions in schools that can make sure bullying doesn’t happen, and stand up for those who are being bullied,” Price said.
Saskatchewan Roughrider Dan Clark remembers those dark times when he was bullied.
“I was always bullied because I was a big kid, you know I was always bigger than everyone else not only in height and size and I was bullied,” Clark said.
He said he has recovered from it but is reminding students that it doesn’t need to be that way.
“I remember what it was like to be alone when I was being bullied, but they’re not alone. They have news reporter, police officers people who have been in the situation,” Clark said.
“We want them to know it is okay to talk about it.”
Cyberbullying
In an era of social media and increasing pressures, bullying has expanded to cyberspace.
Jennifer Stewart-Mitchell is a digital consultant for Regina Catholic Schools, educating students on how to interact online.
“The biggest focus is to how to teach students how to be upstanders and how to look out for other people,” she said.
As in the real world, Stewart-Mitchell said when it comes to cyberbullying, similar rules apply.
“We need to look at ways that we can promote social good online, and focus less on the negativity, help our students find ways to promoting some of that goodness,” Stewart-Mitchell said.