February will be tickled pink, but not just for Valentine’s Day.
Feb. 27 is Pink Shirt Day, a national day to campaign against bullying. The idea started in 2007, when two Nova Scotian high school students wanted to support a fellow student, who was being bullied for wearing a pink t-shirt. They bought pink shirts of their own in an act of solidarity.
Since then the campaign has spread and evolved into an entire day where schools, businesses and local law enforcement departments don pink clothing.
This year in Victoria, Pink Shirt Day will be celebrated with an inaugural Pink Shirt Gala, put on by the WITS Programs Foundation (Walk Away, Ignore, Talk it out, Seek help).
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The fundraiser is held at the Victoria International Marina on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. and features pink-inspired food, cocktails, decor, dress, entertainment and prizes.
Proceeds for the event will support WITS’ bullying prevention programs, which started in Victoria and have since been used in schools across the country. Tickets for the three-course dinner event are $150, and available at pinkshirtgala.com
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Also going on for Pink Shirt Day is the Anti-Bullying Film Festival 2019, organized by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria.
It will feature films submitted by local youth and teens which focus on anti-bullying. The two-hour event will happen on Feb. 27 at l’école Victor-Brodeur starting at 6:30. For more information visit bgcvic.org/anti-bullying-film-festival-2019/
For more information on Pink Shirt Day visit pinkshirtday.ca.
