We see it everywhere: that kid who gets his glasses stolen and snapped in half, the boy who has to sit by himself at lunch because people think he’s weird, the girl who gets called “fat” on someone’s Facebook page. No matter what shape or form, bullying hurts. Has anyone ever made you feel sad, scared or worthless? Has it ever felt like there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it?
Two high school students from Nova Scotia had enough, and so they created Pink Shirt Day at their school – a day when everyone wears pink to promote anti-bullying. In the past two years, it has spread to a national scale!
We all know that bullying is wrong, so we should all do something about it. Last week, on Feb. 29th, students put on the pink as a message of kindness to bullies everywhere.
To all the bullies, they asked you to put yourself in your victim’s shoes. Think about how horrible you’d feel if you were teased or shoved into walls. Bullying accomplishes nothing and they ask that you seek out help to better understand why you bully.
If you’re being bullied, it’s important to remember that it isn’t your fault. Informing an adult doesn’t make you a tattletale, it makes you a courageous person who’s willing to reach out for help.
There’s a third very important person when it comes to bullying: the bystander. If you see someone getting hurt or being made fun of and you don’t do anything about, it makes you just as guilty as the bully. Did you know that 60% of bullying cases could be stopped within 10 seconds if someone speaks up? It’s as easy as telling the bully to “back off.”
So don’t be afraid to speak up and tell an adult! Remember to uphold these values every day, not just one day of the year.