By Karl Lewis, Krishna Bhagnathsingh and Daniel Newman
Humber College on Wednesday marked Pink Shirt Day this year to spread awareness about bullying in schools.
The concept was adopted in 2007 when Travis Price, a Grade 12 student at a rural Nova Scotian high school, started a movement that condemned bullying after a student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt.
On its website, Pink Shirt Day condemns bullying and has deemed it a major problem in schools, workplaces, homes, and online.
They aim to raise awareness of these issues and had raised funds to support programs that foster children’s health and self-esteem.
“I think bullying of any sort is really bad — regardless of what you’re going through, I don’t think bullying is the answer,” said Humza Khan, electromechanical engineer student at Humber’s North campus.
Humza Khan wearing pink sweater in support of 'Pink Shirt Day' Photo credit: Daniel Newman
Khan who said he is a survivor of bullying was among other students on campus Wednesday who could be seen wearing their pink attire in a stand against bullying on campus.
“I was born here but I moved to England when I was nine. Being different I was bullied a lot over there and it made me feel really depressed and contributed to a lot of mental health problems,” Khan said.
Irin Wasusatein was another student who shared with Humber News that she also experienced bullying in school and said that people should be accepting of other people for who they are.
“People should think before they act —It’s really important because I got bullied very hard in high school,” she said.
“The bullies don’t think much about it, but people who get treated like me — still going through therapy — have problems with depression and anxiety,” she said.
Irin Wasusatein, student at Humber College wearing pink jacket and shirt showing her support for Pink Shirt day Photo credit: Daniel Newman
“They should be in other people’s shoes because you don’t know their story, you don’t know what they’re thinking, you don’t know their mental stability,” Wasusatein said.
The IGNITE student union held this year’s Pink Shirt Day at the E-concourse at the North Campus with activities and an information session to spread awareness about the day.
“Although it started as simple acts of kindness it has spread all around the world —not just in Canada,” said Melany Palacios-Naranjo, a Humber IGNITE spokesperson.
Melany Palacios-Naranjo, spokesperson for IGNITE holding a pink sweater that reads "pro kindness kindness club" Photo credit: Krishna Bhagnathsingh
Students who participated in the games and activities received a “Pro kindness, kindness club” IGNITE pink seater which organizers hoped would continue to promote awareness on campus.
“To ensure that all students are feeling included, treated with respect, and overall just being in a kind environment,” Palacios-Naranjo said.
Some students on campus were wearing pink sweaters and shirts but were unaware of Pink Shirt day until they saw it happening.
Anne Ravina said she believes that every student on campus should be treated equally.
Humber IGNITE representative, Anne Ravina wearing an IGNITE branded pink sweater on Pink Shirt Day Photo credit: Daniel Newman
“As a student, it’s really important here especially in school to support this kind of movement or this kind of day to just give awareness to students for anti-bullying,” Ravina said.
Students at Humber wanting information and resources for counselling can access the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre online.
Humber News requested a comment from the department following Wednesday’s celebration. No one from the department was able to speak to our reporters, but they provided a statement saying “if a student has been bullied on campus, they have the right to reach out to the Office of Student Community Standards to make a complaint.”