It’s hard to say who was the bigger hit with a sea of pink-clad kids: The premier or David Shepherd.
On the first Stand Up against Bullying Day, Premier Rodney MacDonald and Education Minister Karen Casey spoke to students at John MacNeil school in Dartmouth.
But it was Shepherd, one of the two teenagers who are the inspiration behind the day, that really got the crowd going. He handed out pink bracelets to kids who could define bullying.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the colour of your skin, the wealth of your family, or any background you come from, everyone deserves to be treated with respect, right?”
MacDonald explained the story behind the pink shirts and the special day: On the first day of school at Central Kings Rural high school, Shepherd and his friend Travis Price noticed a student being picked on for wearing a pink shirt. They started wearing pink and it caught on.
“Students just like you right across Nova Scotia, across Canada and even into the United States heard about this powerful gesture and they started wearing pink as well,” MacDonald said.
“David and Travis’ story tells us how each of us can make a very big difference.”
Shepherd said he sees himself as a role model and he’s fine with that.
“Honestly, we were standing up for the kid that day and now we’re standing up for the whole issue. We’re standing up for kids all over Canada and all over the world.”
Shepherd told the kids about his new website. He said if they want to talk to him or Price about bullying, they can e-mail through the site.
www.forceinpink.ca
