(Photo: pinkshirtday.ca/Vision Photography)

By Brody Langager

"Even just being a friend can combat a bully"

Pink Shirt Day an important reminder to be kind during trying times

Feb 23, 2021 | 5:12 PM

Pink Shirt Day is Wednesday, and with the current state of social media, politics and society, any reminder to practice kindness is a welcome one.

“We can all improve on making an effort to be compassionate and understanding,” says Chisom Nwosu, a Grade 8 student at St.Francis of Assisi Middle School in Red Deer.

Nwosu says bullying is something she saw more of as she reached middle school, but gives some sound advice every youth and adult can take to heart.

“We tend to forget what bullying can look like. Standing up for someone being bullied isn’t always a very climactic event, a lot of the time it can be very simple, [like] shutting down a conversation, or steering the attention away from them. Even just being a friend can combat a bully.”

Principal Gary Gylander of St.Francis of Assisi Middle School says his school’s job is to create a safe environment for students to express themselves.

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“Our pillars are be loving, be joyful, be humble and be forgiving. And that be loving piece is a big one for us.”

When asked how their approach to taking on bullying has evolved, Gylander said, “The strategy that’s changed quite a bit over the last few years, at least at St.Francis. We try as best as we can as teachers and adults to encourage students to be themselves.”

But talking about anti-bullying isn’t just a one-day event.

Hunting Hills High School Grade 12 student Abbie Oake is the executive chair of a mental health committee and strives to start harder conversations about bullying and mental health.

“I think of it as an opportunity for us to all kind of recognize something that’s really important. Bullying affects a lot of people and we should be able to talk about it,” says Oake. “It can be hard to go up to people and start a conversation about bullying, so it’s good to take baby steps.”

Last fall, Hunting Hills held a school-wide day to talk about the stigma behind mental health and how to deal with it.

“I’ve noticed more engagement than I thought there would be,” Oake says. “It’s one of those things that is hard for a lot of people to talk about. But when we put out polls or questions, they’re more willing to talk about it because of the fact our group exists.”

According to the Pink Shirt Day website, one in five kids in Canada is affected by bullying.

Pink Shirt Day has garnered a lot of support since it started at a school in Nova Scotia in 2007 before growing into a worldwide event, selling over 440,000 shirts and raising over $2.55 million in net proceeds for youth anti-bullying programs throughout Western Canada.

Minister of Community and Social Services Rajan Sawhney issued a statement on Pink Shirt Day.