On Wednesday, February 28th, Trinity College School students and staff joined in the global movement known as “Pink Shirt Day,” which provides an opportunity for everyone to consider the meaning of inclusivity, to embrace kindness and to take a stand against bullying. Community members wore pink shirts to show their support for this day and the theme of “lifting everyone up.”
Pink Shirt Day evolved from an incident at a Nova Scotia high school in 2007, when a Grade 9 boy was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Hearing of the situation, a group of fellow students went out and purchased 50 pink shirts, asking boys in the school to wear the shirts to show their support for the Grade 9 student and to protest against bullying. Since that time, Pink Shirt Day has grown into an international event, taking place in more than 120 countries worldwide on the last Wednesday in February.
Statistics show that, globally, one in three children suffers from bullying (source: StopBullying.gov). According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, 71% of Canadian youth (aged 12-17) reported experiencing at least one form of bullying with 25% of Canadian youth reporting experiencing cyberbullying.
In the Junior School at TCS, the GSA invited students not only to stand against bullying, but also to show their support for inclusivity. Anti-bullying means being inclusive and welcoming of others, honouring our differences and making space for all. In addition to wearing pink shirts, students were able to write positive, inspiring messages of encouragement on pink sticky notes that were posted around the School, as well as on pink paper t-shirts that were displayed outside the main office in Boulden House.
In the Senior School, Trinity Students for Social Justice (TSSJ) invited peers to take part in Pink Shirt Day and made available paper pink t-shirt pins. This year, TSSJ chose not to make this a non-uniform day; instead, students were asked to wear pink with their uniforms to put the focus on this action and its meaning: to show that, as a community, we stand against bullying.
Joining the hundreds of other Canadian schools that mark this important day annually, in recognizing Pink Shirt Day, TCS seeks to underscore positive actions amidst what appears to be a broader societal decline in positive interactions. We find ourselves as a school having to focus more on cultivating kindness among students. Knowing that kindness and care are attributes that can be underscored and practiced is essential and hopeful. These tenants are underscored in chapel messaging, house meetings and, when necessary, through our discipline-related discussions. Sustaining our culture of respect is paramount to the TCS experience.
While Pink Shirt Day is a single moment, its message of kindness, compassion and humanity must resonate throughout the year.
