In the pink – Speak up, stand together, stop bullying1 min read

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It was wonderful to see all the pink across St Joseph’s Catholic School for Pink Shirt Day in May.

 

Celebrated annually around the globe, Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying, after a another student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. In New Zealand/Aotearoa, Pink Shirt Day works to create schools, workplaces, communities and whanau, where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

With Pink Shirt Day classroom activities occurring during the week, St Joseph School’s student leaders presented an assembly on the day, where they focused on demonstrating what an upstander is – someone who recognises and responses to bullying behaviour. This includes supporting the person experiencing bullying, standing with them and letting them know you’ve got their back and encouraging them to go to an adult for help. “We don’t want it to be a problem in our school or community, we want our SJS students to have the confidence to be an upstander,” says SJS principal, Carolyn Massey.

 

The school also created a Kindness Wall based on the Pink Shirt Day values: Aroha, Kōrero Awhi  and Mana Manaaki. Students were invited to write messages of aroha and kindness on the wall to express the values and make everyone in the school feel positive and supported.

 

St Joseph’s Catholic School students, Room 4 – Year 2,  dressed in pink for Pink Shirt Day (photo supplied)