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Pink Shirt Day takes a stand against bullying

This Wednesday, Feb. 27, thousands of people across Canada will be wearing bright pink shirts. And while this might sound like something from the movie Mean Girls (“On Wednesdays we wear pink!), it’s anything but.

Pink Shirt Day, initiated by Vancouver-based radio station CKNW, is a day where participants across the country wear pink to raise awareness about bullying.

The idea stems from an incident that happened with two Nova Scotia high school students in 2007. On his first day of high school in the small town of Cambridge, N.S., a Grade 9 boy wore a pink polo shirt and was vehemently mocked and called a homosexual.

Two Grade 12 students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, heard the story and decided to take action. They went to a discount store and bought 50 bright pink t-shirts and tank tops to distribute to students in their school the next day.

“I just figured enough was enough,” Shepherd tells CBC at the time.

They were met with a wave of support from teachers, students and local media – and since then, the idea took off.

“It shows that a simple act of kindness can go a very long way.” Price tells the New Brunswick Beacon.

A year after the incident in 2008, British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell declared the last Wednesday of February to be provincial anti-bullying day -- and now the Pink Shirt Day campaign is in its sixth carnation.

“We encourage all of you to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a society will not tolerate bullying anywhere,” organizers say.

According to Bullying Canada, every seven minutes someone is bullied on a playground, and every 25 minutes someone is bullied in a classroom. The effects can be devastating and long lasting, and its not just children who are bullied.

Last June, the story of Karen Klien, a bus monitor who was tormented by a group of overambitious mean kids, went viral. After the incident, Klien became part of a public crowd sourcing initiative that resulted in thousands of dollars for her to go on a dream vacation, as compensation for her troubles.

Last October, Vancouver-area teen Amanda Todd committed suicide after posting a YouTube video describing years of being bullied online. She was found dead in her Coquitlam home less than a month before her sixteenth birthday.

And in 2011, Mitchell Wilson, an 11-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy committed suicide after being bullied, beaten and mugged by classmates.

It’s hard to believe that bullying can cause so much pain, but it leaves a lasting mark. And a recent study shows that the victim may not be the only one – kids who are bullies are three to five times more likely to experience depression, panic attacks and agoraphobia in adulthood.

While Pink Shirt Day is a B.C.-based event, people all across the country are encouraged to participate. Last year, more than 160,000 people committed via Facebook to wearing pink shirts and more than 6.4 million people participated worldwide, reports the New Brunswick Beacon.

This year, hundreds of schools and businesses have already committed to “make some noise against bullying.”

Another similar event, the Day of Pink occurs on April 10.