Compliments were being handed out amid a sea of pink at Waimea College last week as peer mentors drove the anti-bullying message.
Pink Shirt Day is celebrated around the globe and has been a Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand campaign for more than a decade, encouraging people to take a stand against bullying and striving for communities where people feel safe, valued and respected.
That also sums up the role of the peer mentors at Waimea College who spent the morning taking $2 donations from students who wanted them to deliver compliments to other students, with the money going towards mental health.
Tyra Watkinson says the role of the group of Year 13 students is to help students feel included and look out for them. The school has two spaces where students can feel included and play board games, chat or take part in more active games.
“It’s about looking after the welfare of students and making sure there’s a place to go for everyone. Pink Shirt Day lets people know we are here to support those who do feel a bit left out or different.”
Yannick Smit says social media can accentuate the feeling of being left out for young people.
“What happens is a lot of social media pages are shown in big friends’ groups and if you’re not part of those groups, you can feel very left out. Not being part of those groups can be very challenging.”
Hence the reason to be more inclusive and caring as a society, which Georgie Horncastle sums up.
“It’s important supporting students, especially with the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand. It’s really good to have students of similar age around the school doing this, so we can learn to care about each other in the future.”
