Pink Shirt Day is about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness.  It’s about creating a community where all people feel safe, valued and respected, regardless of their background.

This Friday we came together to mark pink shirt day in support of the antibullying philosophy.  New Zealand is a country where one in five experience bullying behaviours, in the workplace, online or in schools.   Pink Shirt Day is about standing up against bullying and it follows up on our school focus on prevention and zero tolerance.

At Dio we want every student to be an upstander – research evidence shows that 57% of bullying behaviours stop when students or teachers intervene.  We encourage every student to take responsibility for themselves and each other in showing kindness and and being proactive when they see bullying happening.  Telling someone and calling it out is how we can help prevent bullying.

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (MHFNZ) has run the Pink Shirt campaign since 2012, inspiring  people to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying! Celebrated annually around the globe, by donating to Pink Shirt Day, we were all part of helping create a kinder, more inclusive place where everyone feels safe, valued, and unafraid to be themselves.