PINK Shirt Day has gone from an impromptu show of solidarity by Grade 12 students standing up for a bullied classmate to a national conversation every February.
Every year on the last Wednesday of February, we put on our pink shirts, pat ourselves on the back and refocus our efforts on how to confront the issue of kids preying on kids.
There's no doubt a co-ordinated, visible effort by everyone to symbolize their support by wearing pink en masse has an effect but it's time we ratcheted things up a notch.
As we saw with the tragic case of Amanda Todd last year and Rebecca Marino's early departure from professional tennis this week - in part, because of nasty comments made on the Internet - the bullying business is online and business is good.
Anonymous bullies don't know or care about the colour of garments. This means closer attention and a more sophisticated strategy is needed.
The province did right by setting up erasebullying.ca, a website that holds many of those answers and strategies for kids and parents including a tool to report bullying to the appropriate authorities - fighting fire with fire.
In the meantime, whether you suspect your child is a victim, a bully, a witness or none of the above, have a sit-down and chat about bullying, its causes and consequences. The website will serve as an excellent jumping off point.
In too many cases of youth depression and self-harm, the warning signs were there but went overlooked.
