Pink shirts for a kinder world

February 22 is Pink Shirt Day. Did you know that it had its humble beginnings in Canada? 

True story

Imagine being a 14-year old boy in a new-to-you school.

Now, try to think about what it would feel like to have a simple decision, like wearing a colour that some have attached a certain gender bias to — as a reason to not feel accepted —  because now you're being ganged up on and made fun of by a small group of your peers.

This is exactly what happened to a teen in Nova Scotia in 2007, who wore, you guessed it: a pink shirt. 

Thankfully, there were some heroes in this school that decided they disagreed with the perception that pink can't be worn by boys. So they took a stand.

They not only took it upon themselves to message their fellow classmates about it, they also organised, invested in, and distributed pink shirts to their classmates, specifically to: the boys. 

Imagine… walking to school after having been bullied by a small group of your peers…looking up, and then seeing a bunch of boys your age wearing pink in solidarity with you!

Can you imagine? What that must have felt like?

Since that moment, the concept of Pink Shirt Day has taken off, becoming a yearly act of protest against bullying in all forms at most schools across the country. 

It is now a well-known, worldwide phenomenon.

Some of the stats

Approximately 1 in 5 kids are bullied. 

47 per cent of Canadian parents have at least one child that has been a victim of bullying. Around one-third of the population has experienced bullying as a child, and around one-third of teenagers have been bullied recently.

Some of the solutions

Pink Shirt Day is typically on the last Wednesday of the month every February. These demonstrations work to bring awareness year round to anti-bullying, raising funds to support programs that foster children’s healthy self-esteem. 

Since 2008, net proceeds of over $2.55 million have been distributed to support youth anti-bullying programs in Western Canada alone. In 2020, these funds helped support programs that impacted more than 59,000 youth and children. 

Last year, folks in over 110 countries around the world took part in Pink Shirt Day awareness activities to help raise awareness.

Colour our community with kindness

Become a part of the solution by ordering your very own SOS Pink Shirt Day T-Shirt. We are taking orders until February 20th at 5pm. Adult shirts are $20, and Youth are $15! 

We want to colour our community pink in support of this global anti-bullying movement. Help us spread the word by grabbing yours today!