Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu went all out with pink outfits Pink Shirt Day. Photo / Shauni James
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu went all out with pink outfits Pink Shirt Day. Photo / Shauni James
Tutus, wings, wigs, hats and shirts of all kinds were just some of the pink items Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu students and teachers dressed up in for Pink Shirt Day.
Many schools and workplaces turned māwhero/pink last Friday as people came together to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying.
The day is about reducing bullying by celebrating diversity in all its forms and supporting schools, workplaces and communities to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive of all.
It is encouraging all New Zealanders to become ‘Everyday Upstanders’ – people who use their words and actions to help someone who is being bullied.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu was one of the local schools taking part.
The kura’s students and teachers came together for a special assembly where everyone showcased their creative pink outfits, learned more about Pink Shirt Day’s messages and celebrated the murals and colouring-in competitions tamariki had worked on.
The students created colourful murals as part of Pink Shirt Day. Photo / Shauni James
Students Taya Douglas-Kingi, 12, and Te Uranga Lloyd, 12, say Pink Shirt Day is about accepting people, letting people be who they are, helping others and knowing what to do if you or someone else is getting bullied.
They said it was great to come together as a school to celebrate Pink Shirt Day.
Te Uranga says he loved seeing all the different pink outfits, and was happy to see the younger kids also being part of this important event focusing on a serious topic.
Taya says the teachers got into wearing lots of pink items too, which was funny.
Mental Health Foundation (MHF) chief executive Shaun Robinson says we can all help reduce bullying by calling it out when we see it happening.
The students created colourful murals as part of Pink Shirt Day. Photo / Shauni James
“Don’t be a bystander, be an upstander. People who are bullied are more likely to experience mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, but studies show that over half of bullying incidents stop when intervention happens.
“We strongly believe that it’s everyone’s job to make Aotearoa a kinder, more inclusive place where diversity is celebrated.”
Shaun says they were thrilled with the enormous amount of engagement this year by organisations, schools and community groups throughout the motu.
“It shows the growing recognition that supporting people’s mental wellbeing is critical to creating a society free of bullying.
“Wearing a Pink Shirt Day T-shirt sends a powerful message to your peers, colleagues and whānau who are being bullied, or have experienced it before, that they are not alone.”
One hundred per cent of net proceeds from this year’s Pink Shirt Day T-shirt sales will go to the Mental Health Foundation, supporting it to raise awareness about bullying prevention, fund education workshops and supply thousands of free resources that promote inclusive workplaces, schools and communities.
