The Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs are once again joining the Provincial and National movement to celebrate Pink Shirt Day – Bullying Stops Here, on Wednesday February 23, 2011. We are encouraging the Okanagan community to wear pink on that day to show that bullying will no longer be tolerated. Boys and Girls Clubs across the Okanagan will be participating in planned activities that provide education, awareness and teach skills to encourage empathy building during the week leading up to Pink Shirt Day.
Many people believe, likely because they experienced it themselves, that bullying is a “rite of passage” for kids—required in order to deal with the tough realities of life. At Boys and Girls Clubs, we know that victims of bullying, witnesses of bullying and bullies themselves all experience the very real and long term negative impacts of bullying regardless of its forms—physical, verbal, written or on-line (cyber-bullying). We also know that there are constructive and supportive ways to help children and youth develop skills to prevent bullying and to thrive. And, we know that by developing those skills in a supportive environment, the emotional and psychological scars from bullying that haunt and shape people’s futures can be avoided.
Boys and Girls Clubs programs foster self esteem, social engagement, academic success, inclusion, acceptance, respect for self and others, and connection to community—all of which are key elements of bullying prevention. Boys and Girls Clubs proudly participate in Pink Shirt Day because it promotes awareness, understanding and openness about the problem and a shared commitment to a solution. Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs rely heavily on community support to deliver our daily Club programs. Supporting Pink Shirt Day supports everyone who has experienced bullying as well as Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs anti-bullying programs.
Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs is a leading provider of programs to children and youth that support the healthy physical, educational and social development of more than 6,000 young people and their families each year. Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs have been helping young people discover, develop and achieve their potential since 1959. Every day at Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs, where no one is refused membership because of an inability to pay, children and youth get the help they need to learn to develop positive relationships—with peers, family, teachers and the community at large. Our mission is to provide a good place to be—regardless of their circumstances—for kids during their out of school hours. To learn more, visit www.boysandgirlsclubs.ca
