Tēnā koe,
Ararira Springs has joined the Pink Shirt Day movement to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!
On Friday 17th May, we’re pinking out the school to show our commitment to creating an environment that is safe, welcoming and inclusive of all students.
Aotearoa has the second-highest rate of school bullying out of 51 countries. Many studies show people who are bullied are more likely to experience mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts.
With your help, we can turn this around by ensuring our school celebrates diversity and is a place where everyone can feel safe, valued and respected.
About Pink Shirt Day – Pink Shirt Day is a national bullying prevention campaign run by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying at their school after a new student was bullied for wearing pink.
About bullying – While all young people can be the target of bullying, some are more likely to be targeted. These are often people that are perceived as different in some way from the mainstream “majority culture”.
Bullying is:
- Deliberate – harming another person intentionally
- Involves a misuse of power in a relationship
- Not a one-off – it is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated over time
- Involves behaviour that can cause harm – it is not a normal part of growing up (learn more here).
How we’re celebrating Pink Shirt Day
We’ll be celebrating Pink Shirt Day by holding a pink mufti day on Friday 17th May.
How you can help
Your young person may be experiencing bullying, know someone who is being bullied or witnessed bullying at school. Young people can have a powerful role in preventing bullying – research shows that more than half of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the person being bullied!
Nicky Harding and Hinehau Butcher
Well Being Coordinators