What a fantastic show of commitment from across our community on Pink Shirt Day last Friday. It seemed that everywhere I looked online, and noticeably on Facebook pages, a sea of pink-laden anti-bullying messages lit up the screen. Schools, community groups, the Police, hospital staff, and extraordinary individuals took up the pink challenge. A super creative young man I know didn't have a pink shirt to wear so he improvised by covering his shirt in pink sticky notes so he didn't miss out on supporting the activities at his school. It was heartening to see the boys in blue from the youth team don pink shirts for the day. I had a fantastically fun breakfast with some awesome male colleagues, including Mayor Hamish, and I have to say they all looked powerful in pink.
It is important to remember that this day began back in Canada in 2007 as the result of homophobic bullying. A young male student was ridiculed for wearing a pink shirt. So, his friends took matters into their hands and decided to turn up to school en masse wearing pink shirts as a show of solidarity. It really is amazing what we can achieve when we all stand together. It is great to see that Pink Shirt Day is gathering momentum around the country, as well as around the world. We still have a long way to go to ensure that all schools have policies and procedures that support safety. The incidence of bullying is significantly higher in our rainbow communities. Organisations like Rainbow Youth have been pivotal in raising awareness among our young people, however we still have more work to do to more fully support safety and visibility for adults.
The It's Not OK campaign has been consolidating messages around domestic violence, and this has included developing workplace toolkits with examples of how employers can enact policies that support the safety of their staff. Green MP Jan Logie has attempted to have a bill passed in parliament that recognises this. It incorporates workplace protection for victims of domestic violence, including provisions for extended leave where appropriate. From a purely economic perspective, bullying and domestic violence significantly impacts on employee productivity, resulting in increased absenteeism from work, difficulty concentrating, and challenges to ongoing career development. The emotional effect of course is even more impactful.
Last week a woman in a retail outlet I was visiting grabbed at the Pink Shirt Day badge affixed to my scarf. When I said it was to stand up against bullying she cast her head down, and quietly uttered, "There's a lot of that that goes on here. It's not good". I offered to give her my badge so that she had the opportunity to make a statement with it, she politely declined. However, the very act of her acknowledging what was going on may cause its own ripple effects. Special thanks to all the good folk that came down to the Women's Network on Friday to create some pink-themed painted rocks to release with anti-bullying messages. We had a full house of parents and kids, and lots of discussion. A big shout out to Sandie Roach, one of our favourite community warriors for co-ordinating this wonderfully fun and creative activity. Thanks also to Mitre 10 Mega and Pak n Save too!
We are looking forward to celebrating the premiere of the all new Wonder Woman film tomorrow! Tickets are still available, so call on in to the Royal Wanganui Opera House between 10am and 4pm, order by phone, or online. Dressing up is strongly encouraged, after all, we all have a super hero inside of us! We have more entertainment lined up on Friday night with Taranaki-based musician Juliet ¦ McLean is performing with her band at the Ladies' Rest. Join us at 7.30pm for $15 and enjoy an evening of jazz-infused music. Email me: womnet.wang@callplus.net.nz
