In 2007 a boy in Nova Scotia went to his first day of Grade 9 wearing a pink polo shirt. Pink, a colour typically associated with girls was the catalyst for others at the school to begin bullying the youth.
Two Grade 12 students witnessed this and in an effort to stand up for the Grade 9 youth went out that evening and bought approximately 50 pink t-shirts. They handed these t-shirts out to their friends in order to create a "sea of pink" as the two grade twelve youth described the effort.
The next day the youth who had been harassed for wearing a pink shirt walked into a school filled with students wearing pink.
This was a powerful gesture to the youth who had been bullied about his pink shirt.
Since 2007 this simple act of wearing pink has expanded and the Anti-bullying Pink Day is now celebrated in schools across the country.
On Wednesday, April 10, Manor School took part in Pink Day beginning with a pancake breakfast.
The rest of the morning followed regular schedule, while the early afternoon saw activities for the elementary youth followed by activities for the high school students.
Youth participated in dialogue concerning bullying and the different types including cyber-bullying, verbal, physical, and covert bullying. Cyber-bullying is that which uses electronic devices such as computers and cell phones. Verbal bullying includes name calling, teasing, and intimidation. Physical bullying is when the instigator pushes, kicks, hits, or otherwise physically assaults an individual. Finally covert bullying includes lying, spreading rumours, making negative facial gestures, or damaging someone's reputation.
Youth were then asked to identify areas where bullying is more likely to occur and areas where it is least likely to occur.
Students also identified the different people associated with an act of bullying: the bully or aggressor, the victim, and the bystanders.
During the high school session four students were asked to wait outside the gym, upon re-entry they would have to find a group which they could join. The remaining youth in the gym then organized themselves into groups which included wearing their hair down, those with jobs, baseball players, same age, family, love of horses, the unemployed, and those who look alike.
The four students who had waited outside the gymnasium then had to find which group they belonged to simply by looking and asking what they thought had brought the group together. The youth found the exercise to be quite difficult.
The high school students were then asked to get into groups of four. These groups would then present a short skit on bullying for the rest of the school including the elementary youth.
As the high school students performed the elementary students called out the names of those who were portraying the bully, the victim, and the bystander. They also answered the question regarding the bystander and if they were helpful or not in the situation.
The three top prizes for most pink worn were then handed out. A gift certificate to Subway was given to Desiree Riddell, Madison Cuddington, and Kennedy Turgeon.
The school day then ended with the students of Manor School creating the Harlem Shake video. The Harlem Shake is an internet trend, which is essentially a video of a group of people doing a mundane act with one person dancing. The video then cuts to the entire group dancing to the "Harlem Shake," a song by Baauer.
The youth were, therefore, able to learn bullying and what to look for, while ending the day united as a group performing the Harlem Shake.
