Today is Pink Shirt Day, a national initiative to end bullying both offline and online. Since 2007, Canadians have been donning pink shirts to show their commitment to ending bullying in all forms.
Bullying is an issue that affects children, teens, and even adults in many different situations. Increasingly, bullying is becoming a prominent concern with youth online. Social media, texting, and other digital communications mean that what was once a schoolyard issue is now something that can be ever-present. This is why it’s more important than ever to educate young people on preventing and stopping bullying.
This year, MediaSmarts has partnered with Shaw Communications to help promote the Pink Shirt Day message. We’ve also collaborated on our newest tip sheet, 10 Tiny Ways You Can Make the World a Better Place Today. This tip sheet includes advice from Canadian teens on how to get along and end bullying, whether that’s in a school hallway or on social media.
Download the Tip Sheet
It’s important that we all take a strong stance against bullying. You can use your social networks to show that you support this cause by sharing messages with #PinkShirtDay. We’ve prepared some messages you can use:
Tweet:
For #PinkShirtDay read 10 Tiny Ways You Can Make the World a Better Place Today by @MediaSmarts & help end bullying! http://ow.ly/YCpzm
Facebook Post:
Pink Shirt Day is an important event where all Canadians show solidarity in ending bullying, both in person and online. This #PinkShirtDay, read @MediaSmarts’ new tip sheet “10 Tiny Ways You Can Make the World a Better Place Today”, and help put an end to bullying across Canada. http://ow.ly/YCpzm
We want to hear from you about how we can all help end bullying and make the world a better place. You can tweet at us (@MediaSmarts) with the hashtag #PinkShirtDay, or post a comment on our Facebook page.
Want to learn more? Check out these additional MediaSmarts resources
For Youth:
- First Do No Harm: How to be an active witness
- Think Before You Share
- Do the Right Thing
- What to Do if Someone is Mean to You Online
For Parents:
- Parents’ Guide to Cyberbullying
- Building Empathy in Children and Teens
- Promoting Ethical Behaviours With Your Kids
For Teachers :
- Behaving Ethically Online: Ethics and Empathy
- Behaving Ethically Online: Ethics and Values
- That’s Not Cool: Healthy and Respectful Relationships Online
- Rules of the Game
- Introduction to Ethics: Avatars and Identity
- Cyberbullying and the Law
- Cyberbullying and Civic Participation
- Understanding Cyberbullying : Virtual vs. Physical Worlds
- Hate 2.0
- Hate or Debate
- Scapegoating and Othering