Students from across the city were energized last week when the gathered at the Estevan Court House clad in pink for a march downtown.
If you found access to Fourth Street between Souris and 13th Avenues was blocked in the afternoon on April 10, it's because the thoroughfare was closed to vehicles and opened for the gathering of students, teachers, community members and city officials who showed off their pink shirts and marched with the spirit of creating a future of greater acceptance.
The Red Cross held its Day of Pink in concert with the international Day of Pink last Wednesday with walks in Estevan and Weyburn. It was the second consecutive year for the Energy City walk, and local organizer Shannon Culy, who is the event organizer and student counsellor with the Holy Family Roman Catholic School Division said there was a better turnout, particularly when it came to community members.
A greater community presence tells Culy the event is gaining momentum and not only are people aware of it, but they are also supportive of it.
"I was really happy with how things turned out. I think in comparison to last year, we definitely had more people out," said Culy. "It was good to see we had a lot more parents out and members of the community, so we were really excited with the turnout."
Culy said they weren't able to advertise and push the event as hard as they did in the first year. Despite that, the number of pink-clad walkers was enough for Culy.
"It gives me hope that this is catching on, and people are showing up to support it," she said. "We're going to keep going with it, and we'll start talking to other schools about getting involved. "
She noted that this marked the third year the walk was held in Weyburn, and the event there continues to grow.
Weather was a question mark leading up to the day as the T-shirts were all that was needed to stay warm for the 2012 march. With snow still on the ground and temperatures barely above freezing, there was some concern the walk could be less comfortable this time around. Weather problems, however, were averted and no drastic measures were necessary to postpone or cancel the event.
"Unless we wake up to a blizzard, I said, 'we're walking,'" added Culy.
She said she thinks the students are very aware of the anti-bullying message of the event and are thrilled by that call for respect.
"When we talk about the walk, the kids are absolutely excited about it. The kids were wearing their shirts, they were wearing their bracelets, they made signs and this is an event we do all week. We have spirit days everyday of the week this week," Culy said following the walk.
Each day last week was a spirit day at St. Mary's and Sacred Heart/Sacré Coeur Schools. Students were encouraged to do things that would show fellow students that they cared, and students would be rewarded for their kind efforts.
"It's a big week for us. It doesn't just happen one day and we try to send that message to our kids as well. It's nice that everyone shows up that one day and shows support, but I think the message that we try to send to our students is that it's not just one day, it's not just one week, it's everyday of our lives."
Culy said she expects the event to continue next year under the same format it has been moving along in its first two years. The organizers have entertained the idea of bringing a speaker in, but Culy said they are still finding their place in the community and hope to further establish the walk before changing things up too drastically.
"Next year we just continue that momentum, and if it's something that one day out of the school year the kids know this is going to happen, then we're raising awareness," said Culy, who noted they have also begun monthly spirit days to raise awareness of the Day of Pink.
The organizer said they will now be looking to build on the event's foundation and shoot for a larger walk next spring.
