On Saturday, March 27th , ten kids from our clubs along with staff headed to Snow Valley for a day of skiing, snowboarding, and fun! The day started off bright and early, as all the kids gathered at the club and took a taxi and staff car and made their way out to the ski resort. Once everyone arrived there was a meet and greet with the University of Alberta ski club who gave a short orientation on safety and assisted the kids to get their passes and rentals. The first part of the day involved ski and boarding lessons. Once the kids had learned the basics they were pumped and ready to take to the hills. For many of our children it was their first time snowboarding, and they really took to it. In fact, one kid who normally doesn’t participate in any physical activity had so much fun skiing that he came in to have a quick lunch and then dashed off once again to the slopes. It’s great seeing our kids so excited about physical activity says, Judy Sterling, Co-coordinator of the Cool Moves program. “We strive every day at our clubs to promote and educate our kids about the importance and benefits of being physically active. It’s become a mantra with us, eat smart, play cool and pass it on. This ski trip is a great example of how we try and give our members the opportunity to better enhance their physical health.” Studies have shown the positive impact of regular physical activity and we at Boys & Girls Clubs of Edmonton make every effort to get our club members active. We would like to thank the University of Alberta ski club volunteers whose help and enthusiasm made this outing so special for our kids and a day they will always remember!
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or the second year in a row, Boys & Girls Clubs of Edmonton is proud and honored to present “Pink Shirt Day”. This initiative was jumpstarted to educate our club members about the consequences of bullying and to promote an environment where our kids feel safe to talk about their experiences and to learn how they can prevent and safely deal with bullies.
Pink Shirt Day’s roots 
began with founders David Shepherd and Travis Price, 12th grade students from Nova Scotia who started Pink Shirt day in support of a student who was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt on the first day back to school. The victim was a Grade 9 boy at Central Kings Rural High School in the small community of Cambridge. According to fellow students, bullies teased and taunted the boy labeling him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up. Shepherd and Travis who heard about the harassment were spurned into taking action. They went to a nearby discount store and bought 50 pink shirts, including tank tops, to wear to school the next day. Then the two got online to email classmates and get them on board with the anti-bullying campaign that they dubbed a “sea of pink”. A tsunami of support poured in the next day. Not only were dozens of students outfitted with the discount tees, but hundreds of students showed up wearing their own pink clothes, some decked from head-to-toe.
Judy Sterling, dedicated staff and role model, asserts “Shepherd and Price are an inspiration to many; they are truly compassionate individuals who represent the heart of the anti-bullying movement.” She also stresses that Pink Shirt Day is critical for our kids! At Boys & Girls Clubs of Edmonton we deal with children that come from poor neighborhoods and harsh family situations that are easily vulnerable to intimidation and being pushed around. The reverse is also true, since most of our demographic is from high risk urban areas; many of our youth have learned to survive by being bullies. According to studies by Canadian Family, they’ve coined bullying as the “deadly epidemic” taking over Canada and the U.S. Judy goes on to say that “It is vital that we teach our children how to cope and combat bullying so that they grow up to be happy, confident and productive members of society.”
This year, we had a diversity of participants including kids from all the clubs, families, volunteers and staff. The event was a tremendous success. Club members really connected with the MC Patrick Kabongo, whose story resonated with our kids. He was the bully rather than the one being bullied. This was an “aha moment” for several of our youth who have admitted to being bullies, however when they heard stories of victims and saw first hand the negative impact that bullying had on others nearly all of them vowed to change their behavior.
Manager of Fund Development & Public Relations, Stephen Kufske states, “It is heartwarming to see such a high turnout and welcoming reception from families and volunteers for Pink Shirt Day. We would like to especially thank CTV and CBC who took the time to come out and support this worthwhile cause and for spreading the message that bullying will not be tolerated at our clubs and communities.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of Edmonton is committed to continuing the tradition of “Pink Shirt Day” for years to come.
This is what some of the participants had to say:
“I have not been bullied at school, since I wore my pink t-shirt!” - Chanel 8
“Bullying is not cool and bullies should know that! I’m wearing my shirt to school” – Laila, 10
“I gave my daughter’s school teacher at Norwood school a pink T-shirt to hang in the class room and educate the kids about bullying” – Sharon Niles (Parent)
“I really like having Pink Shirt Day, can we do it again next month?” – Adam, 6
“If you see someone getting bullied and don’t tell a teacher or an adult then you are just as bad as the bully” – Chanel
