For years, kids who were bullied at school suffered in silence. Even when kids spoke up, there were few avenues of recourse. School administrations didn’t always respond appropriately and often the bullying would continue, unless the victim or bully moved away.

Today, things are very different. On the one hand, opportunities for bullying are more prevalent with social media and the Internet. Awareness, however, is also growing and kids are now being schooled in what kind of behaviour is acceptable—and what isn’t.

Most school boards have a zero tolerance towards bullying, policies are in place to protect whistleblowers and help reform offenders. Anti-bullying campaigns have been key in promoting this awareness and bringing about change. Most significantly, in Canada the last Wednesday in February each year has become known as “Anti-Bully Day” or “Pink T-shirt Day.”

It all started with a couple of courageous teens in Nova Scotia a few years ago who rallied behind a fellow grade nine student who was mocked for wearing a pink t-shirt to school. Instead of participating in the teasing or standing idly by, these teens instead wore pink t-shirts to school to show their support to the victim. Taking it one step further, they purchased and handed out 50 more pink t-shirts to other students to also show their unity.

Today, Pink Shirt Day is an annual event where hundreds of schools across the province host anti-bully assemblies and thousands of students raise awareness by wearing their pink t-shirts. Bullying will never end overnight, but with ongoing awareness, zero tolerance and some courage, things can—and will—get better for many more kids.