Last Wednesday of February (Canada)[1] Third Friday of May (New Zealand)[2]
Frequency
Annual
First time
September 13, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-09-13)
Started by
David Shepherd and Travis Price
Pink Shirt Day is an annual event against bullying, held in Canada and New Zealand.[1][2] Participants wear pink shirts and attend or host informative events to raise awareness about bullying, particularly in schools. Pink Shirt Day was started in 2007 in Canada, where it is held on the last Wednesday of February each year.[3] It was adopted in New Zealand in 2009 and is observed annually on the third Friday of May.[3]
History
The original event was organized in 2007 by twelfth-grade students David Shepherd and Travis Price of Berwick, Nova Scotia, who bought and distributed 50 pink shirts after a ninth-grade student Chuck McNeill was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt during the first day of school at Central Kings Rural High School in Cambridge, Nova Scotia.[4][5] That year, Nova Scotia PremierRodney MacDonald proclaimed the second Thursday of September (aligning with the start of each school year) as "Stand Up Against Bullying Day" in recognition of these events.[6]
In May 2009, New Zealand celebrated its first Pink Shirt Day.[3]
In 2012, the United Nations declared May 4 as U.N. Anti-Bullying Day.[9] Similarly, UNESCO declared the first Thursday of November as the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying.[10]
Purpose
A pink shirt anti-bullying sign at the Oshawa Centre in 2016
Anti-Bullying Day was instituted to prevent further bullying. The United States Department of Justice showed that one out of four kids will be bullied during their adolescence.[11] Most of the time it continues after the first incident; statistics show that 71 percent of students that are bullied, continue to be bullied, making it a problem with no end. According to the Yale School of Medicine, a study in 2010 discovered a connection between being bullied and suicide. The term to describe this is "bullycide", wherein someone who is bullied commits suicide as a result.[citation needed]
^S.P. Limber, P. Cunningham, V. Florx, J. Ivey, M. Nation, S. Chai, and G. Melton, "Bullying among school children: Preliminary findings from a school-based intervention program," paper presented at the Fifth International Family Violence Research Conference, Durham, NH, June/July 1997.
External links
Pink Shirt Day — The aim of CKNW Kids' Fund's Pink Shirt Day is to raise awareness of bullying in schools, workplaces, homes and online. The organisation also looks to raise funds to support programmes and facilities to foster children's health self-esteem.
Stomp Out Bullying — Stomp Out Bullying is a non-profit organisation aimed to change the culture for all students both kids and teens with inclusion,. The organisation dedicated itself to eradicate bullying against all walk of life through education on racism, homophobia, LGBTQ and discrimination. The organisation provides help to those at risk of bullying and suicide though close peer mentoring, events and social media out reach programmes.
Erase Bullying — Erase aims to strengthen school communities through building safer environments through empowering key figures in the community such as parents, students and educators. The organisations aims to erase, cyber-bullying whilst encouraging mental health and well-being.
Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center — PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center was founded in 2006. The aim of the organisation was to introduce social change by preventing childhood bullying ensuring the youth are safe and in connection with the necessary support within school and communities.
