Colours mean different things to different people at different times, but on the Day of Pink, pink is all about respect.
The Canadian Red Cross Day of Pink has been set for April 10, and George Barker, the outreach co-ordinator for southeast Saskatchewan, is encouraging everyone to order their T-shirts to support young people everywhere.
Barker noted they sold 14,000 shirts in the province last year, which was the first year the Day of Pink festivities were brought to Estevan.
"It seems like every year somebody new joins in, so it is growing," said Barker.
Because of the RespectED side of the campaign, the initiative is about awareness and prevention.
"We're promoting prevention, so we want people to come out and take a stand, and let's prevent this from happening," said Barker.
RespectEd is simply about education and respect, he added.
"It's teaching that we can live with our diversities and respect one another for who we are and stop the nonsense that's going on."
Barker noted it isn't just students or young people who should heed the lessons of the day. As people from around the world continue to settle in southeast Saskatchewan, embracing their differences and finding common ground is something we should all be doing with the people of our communities.
"We've got new immigrant people moving in and yes, they've got different cultural things and maybe different coloured skin, but that's got nothing to do with it. They're human beings. We, as people, need to take a look at how we talk and what we do. I think we've lost a lot of respect. They call it RespectEd because that's the main issue; we want to bring back respect to who we are."
Last year, more than 19,000 youth participated in Red Cross violence and abuse prevention programs. More students will go through the programming next year.
"We are basically all the same. Yeah, there are cultural issues, but we gotta get by those things and learn to live in peace, so we try to teach our children that they have the right to go to school and be safe."
He said the Red Cross is also doing something called peer-counselling training.
"We go in and we actually train the students to be the people who actually carry this program on. Then as those kids get older and move on, they're bringing other kids up through the program," said Barker.
During the first year of the Day of Pink march, 1,200 people turned out, and in year two things got even bigger in Weyburn, while the inaugural walk in Estevan last year had an extra block added to the route.
"I was quite impressed with Estevan's turnout," said Barker. "My hope is that people don't pass this off, but they would really truly get behind it, because there's a lot of people really wanting something done. The way to start is to get involved. My hope is that more get involved."
Funds are raised through the sale of pink T-shirts. When ordering T-shirts online, Barker noted that people should select Saskatchewan, so the funds raised go to provincial programs in the Red Cross, and individuals should register as businesses, because the only options are business and school. The deadline to order a T-shirt, sticker or other paraphernalia is Jan. 31.
The walks in Estevan and Weyburn have yet to be scheduled, but with the Day of Pink coming on April 10, it's likely they will fall on or very near that day.
Barker noted that for them, it's not just the Day of Pink, but also a whole week of activities that sees them go into several schools with the presentation Beyond the Hurt featuring players from the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
