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Wear your rose-coloured glasses for the second annual Pink Shirt Gala

Anti-bullying event promises pink drinks, food and shirts
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The WITS Programs Foundation’s second annual Pink Shirt Gala includes pink drinks, foods and of course, pink shirts. (Unsplash)

A Saturday event gives participants a chance to enjoy pink drinks, snacks and, of course, shirts marking WITS Programs Foundation’s second annual Pink Shirt Gala.

Held Feb. 29 on Pier B at the Breakwater District at Ogden Point, the event includes special guest Travis Price, co-founder of Pink Shirt Day in Canada.

The event follows Pink Shirt Day on Feb. 27, an international anti-bullying initiative that sees thousands show up to work or school in pink shirts to show they are against bullying. The 2020 theme for Pink Shirt Day is ‘Lift Eachother Up.’

WITS, which stands for Walk away, Ignore, Talk it out and Seek Help, is a teacher-led program created in Esquimalt two decades ago. The term, ‘using your WITS’ when faced with bullying became a commonly used term – and from that, the WITS program was born.

“We use the WITS program at our school to help children with strategies to use when they find themselves in difficult situations,” said Melissa Ryan, vice-principal of École John Stubbs Memorial. “The acronym is easy for the children to remember, even the youngest grades. We love the WITS program at our school.”

The WITS program has been introduced to about 500,000 children in 1,200 schools across Canada – as far as Nunavut.

The anti-bullying initiative continues to have a strong presence in Victoria. The WITS Programs Foundation’s Pink Shirt Gala celebrates the anti-bullying initiative in varying shades of the fuchsia hue – with everything from a pink-themed signature cocktail, pink-inspired menu and party guests clothed in shades of pink.

Tickets for the 2020 Pink Shirt Gala can be purchased online at eventbrite.ca.

READ ALSO: West Shore RCMP and Franky the dog participate in Pink Shirt Day

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