Bullying Stops Here: Pink Shirt Day 2012 is on February 29th, 2012
I was bullied as a child (I wrote about it here) Yeah, among the many experiences I have had in my life, the worst was being bullied. Because I was short. Because I was a nerdy kid, a bookworm. But the reality is, I was bullied because the kids that surrounded me were unable to understand differences and diversity. I don’t blame the kids, to be fair. I blame the uninformed parents, and the non-supportive school (I went to an all-boys school). And yes, I did survive. But not thanks to my teachers nor my peers, nor even my friends. I survived thanks to my parents and my brothers and an amazing extended family. Having had a personal experience with bullying has made me a keen supporter of Pink Shirt Day, a BC-led initiative to end bullying. Their motto is Bullying Stops Here.
You can buy your Pink Shirt Day T-shirts (with proceeds to go to the Boys and Girls Clubs) here.
UPDATE – I just found out that you can buy the official Pink Shirt Day t-shirts at any London Drugs location.
For the fourth year, London Drugs is supporting the powerful Pink Shirt Day campaign with the official Anti-bullying Pink Shirt Day shirts available at all London Drugs locations. The net proceeds from the $9.80 T-shirt directly support local Boys and Girls Clubs in communities across Western Canada.
My story is a little different. Three of the worst bullies I ever encountered were teachers. In the 1970s, at my elementary school, these teachers hit and/or shamed children publically for poor test results or for being ‘different’ (shy, nerdy, poor, non-white…). ‘Telling tales’ was not an option as many of our parents had little education themselves, and while they loved us, would not challenge a teacher’s behaviour. Thank you Raul for posting on this important topic. This is a great way to show your public support for the anti-bullying movement and also to support the programs offered by the Girls and Boys clubs.