On the last Wednesday of February, many people across Canada put on pink shirts that to show their stand against bullying.
The tradition started in Nova Scotia almost 15 years ago in support of Chuck McNeill, a Grade 9 student who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The idea soon was picked up by other provinces and spread across the country. Now the anti-bullying day is marked in many countries on different dates.
Members of the Estevan Diversified Service (EDS), many of whom have been bullied at some point in their lives, have always been strong advocates against bullying. This year they took their campaign even further than raising awareness.
"We are really trying to focus this year on … how we can lift each other up, the opposite of tearing each other down in bullying. We are trying to focus on the positive, on what we can do that's positive," said Roberta DeRosier, who is the program co-ordinator at EDS.
"The awareness is already there. So how do we get it to go forward now? How do we build each other up?"
The Estevan Mercury reached out to EDS members and asked them about their part in the campaign. We are publishing their thoughts about Pink Shirt Day and bullying in this Pink Shirt Day special section of the paper.
EDS members and staff spent a lot of time talking about the anti-bullying day prior to Feb. 24. They also did some crafts and decorated masks as a part of the conversation. On Pink Shirt Day, they focused on what they could do to make others feel good. They also had some video sessions to enhance the discussion.
"We found some videos related to lifting each other up and how bullying day came to be," said Sara Hollingshead, who is a direct support professional with EDS.
"We watched videos, then we discussed them and the ideas that came out were amazing. And I think that's something that they are definitely going to start doing. Not that they aren't already doing it," Hollingshead said.
"I think all of our guys have awareness about (bullying) already because they've been through it. If you ask any one of them, they had things happen to them. They were bullied or picked on … so now it's going forward and saying okay, now not only how do we create awareness and stop it, but also how do we change it?" added DeRosier.
While Pink Shirt Day helped to raise awareness, DeRosier said they believe it's not enough and now communities need to find ways to improve the situation. And EDS members are doing their best to help each other, build each other up and also stand up for others who are being bullied.
"We also focused on what do you do if you see someone being bullied. And they were all like, 'I'd stick up for them because no one stuck up for me.' It was very touching because they all have stories. And I think having a day like this really helps them to get their stories out and realize that they are not alone, that while bullying is not okay but there are ways that we can move past it and build ourselves up stronger," Hollingshead said.
