Dear Editor,
I want to commend the Richmond News for its excellent coverage of Pink Shirt Day in its Feb. 24 issue.
From examining the long term effects of bullying, to exploring how the anti-bullying message has filtered more broadly into the community and into adult workplaces, to highlighting not only the way schools and students celebrate Pink Shirt Day but also strive to create cultures of kindness and acceptance year-round with mentoring and other initiatives, the News did a wonderful job of reminding us of two things:
1. Letting young people take the lead can be a powerful force for change;
2. Erasing bullying and building a society based on respect and compassion needs to be a community-wide effort.
I would also like to thank those who had the courage to share their stories and experience of being bullied or participating in bullying. When people speak up, those who have been victims of bullying can know they aren’t alone and hopefully it deters others from engaging in bullying behaviour. Thanks again to the News for giving voice to those affected by bullying and raising the profile of Pink Shirt Day.
Sandra Nixon
School trustee
Richmond Board of Education
