Anti-bullying, inclusionary discussions are being had across many schools in Canada on Wednesday, Feb. 26. (file photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Pink Shirt Day

‘We genuinely do care about this issue:’ anti-bullying movement gains momentum

Feb 26, 2025 | 7:18 AM

NANAIMO — Schools across the country, province and mid-Island region will be noticeably pinker on Wednesday to draw awareness and action against bullying.

Pink Shirt Day, launched in 2007 by a pair of Nova Scotia high school students taking a stand against a fellow student bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school, is recognized annually on the final Wednesday in February.

It’s a day that holds extra meaning to Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools trustee Tania Brzovic.

“I certainly experienced bullying growing up as a child. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m in a wheelchair (people made) little jokes about the wheelchair. People think they’re being funny, but it hurts,” Brzovic told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Brzovic, a member of the district’s Safe Schools Committee, said marginalized students are often at a greater risk to bullying, such as those belonging to the LGBTQ2S+ community.

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Kindness assemblies and speakers addressing inclusion are scheduled for certain sites within Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools.

An annual pledge sheet returns to John Barsby Secondary School, where students state what they will do to help create a safe, more inclusive space within the school community.

Brzovic said anti-bullying discussions are ongoing at the board and school-based level.

“We’re working with senior staff, working through their operational plan to continually try to support our principles and then our teachers to make things better in our schools.”

She said with social media and technology infused into the daily lives of many students, It’s critically important to continually talk about bullying at school, home and at the community level.

“We genuinely do care about this issue, we know it’s a complicated topic and we are doing our best day-by-day to incrementally make it better for kids.”

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