Tessa Naulalik knows you can never start too young with teaching children about bullying.
“I’ve taught them that bullying is not acceptable anywhere, anytime,” she said, as her two-year-old daughter Nancy Meeko modelled a Pink Shirt Day T-shirt.
Naulalik has tried to instill on her children that people are different and to never judge or bully others for how they look or sound.
She grew up in Rankin Inlet, and her daughter is growing up here too. Naulalik said she had some bullies growing up, and her six-year-old faced some bullies in the past year, but those issues have improved since changing houses.
“I told my kids, if anybody is bullying them to ask them to stop,” said Naulalik. “If that doesn’t work, go tell us, their parents or teacher.”
Pink Shirt Day is held every year on the last Wednesday of February. It originated from David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organizing a high-school protest to wear pink in support with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt in 2007. It has since become an international campaign.