Summerland Kinsmen have been wearing pink shirts to show their support for the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs and their opposition to bullying.
The last Wednesday of February is known as Anti-Bullying Day, or Pink Shirt Day in Canada.
On this day participants wear pink to symbolize a stand against bullying. The observance started as a protest against a bullying incident at a Nova Scotia school.
Organizers bought and distributed 50 pink shirts after a student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school.
Summerland Kinsmen bought anti-bullying pink shirts and wore them at their meeting this month.
They also pledged to wear the shirts to work Feb. 29.
Summerland Kinsmen is made up of a variety of different occupations including youth workers, construction laborers, auto body techs, roofers and plumbers.
Westley Harbinson, program co-ordinator for Okanagan Boys and Girls Club as well as a Kinsman, said the organizations “support pink shirt day but make a year long commitment against bullying.”
Boys and Girls Club’s programs foster self esteem, social engagement, academic success, inclusion, acceptance, respect for self and others and connection to community — all of which are key elements of bullying prevention.
Boys and Girls Clubs participate in Pink Shirt Day because it promotes awareness, understanding and openness about the problem and a shared commitment to a solution.
In Summerland, the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs offerafterschool care and Monday night floor hockey for children ages 5-12 at the Harold Simpson Memorial Hall.
To register, or for more information please call Mandy at (250) 404 0440.
