The Good Neighbours Committee, a partnership between local government, First Nations, education and business advocates encourages everyone to support Pink Shirt Day on February 29. It promotes a message of inclusiveness and anti-bullying. Pink Shirt Day started in 1997 when two young men, David Shepherd and Travis Price, high school seniors at Central Kings Rural high school in Nova Scotia saw a young man in their school being bullied for his choice of clothing and took a stand against it.
By encouraging all students to wear pink, boys and girls, they made a statement and took up the cause of bullying that spoke volumes and changed the climate of a school to being more tolerant, and that change has now rippled across the country.
Our Nechako Valley schools have many events planned to celebrate Pink Shirt Day and highlight the zero tolerance for bullying we want to see in our community. Let us join them in showing our support for a community void of bullying.
We can through our actions and choices allow the voice of the weaker or the more isolated student to be heard. To create a safe environment for everyone in the community, we need to have a dialogue about issues instead of debate, to seek to understand rather than assume, to listen rather than be heard. We can speak out against bullying and work toward a community that belongs to everyone.
The Good Neighbours Committee works toward the goal of a welcoming community for all and invites people to participate in the many projects happening through the Spirit of Vanderhoof Diversity Project. For more info on the Good Neighbours Committee, go to www.goodneighbours.wordpress.com and for more information about Pink Shirt Day, go to www.pinkshirtday.ca
February 29, stand up and be heard: wear pink!