In celebration of Pink Shirt Day, the national movement to bring awareness to anti-bullying, students at Langdon School will have the opportunity to hear from anti-bullying youth speaker and former “Cosmo the Cougar” mascot Josh Drean on Feb. 25, at the school.
“Josh Drean is an anti-bullying speaker who delivers an upbeat and inspiring presentation to ‘equip students to defeat bullying positively,’” wrote Langdon School Child Development Officer Margaret Schrauwen in an email to Rocky View Weekly.
“Josh inspires students to be positive, to act kind to one another and to create a culture of respect at the school.”
Drean draws on his personal experience as a university mascot, psychology major, musician and beatboxer to teach self-control strategies and foster a community of respect.
“Most bullying speakers use scare tactics by talking about suicides or horrible bullying incidents,” Drean said in a press release.
“But I have learned from my studies in psychology that the most effective way to reach students is through positive emotion. My message is centred on my experience as a college mascot to reach students in a powerful and positive way. They will be inspired, rather than scared, to change.”
“It is important to discuss bullying with students to teach strategies, to promote awareness, understanding and openness about the problem, and assist students in establishing healthy relationships,” Schrauwen said.
“By increasing awareness of bullying issues, we believe we will assist in preventing, resolving and eliminating bullying in our school community and in society.”
Because Langdon School is a kindergarten to Grade 9 school, Drean will give different presentations to the different grade levels.
Drean will connect with the younger students by presenting in a way that uses interactive dialogue and activities to help develop a definition of bullying and its consequences.
The older students will hear about the bullying Drean experienced as a beatboxer and mascot and share life experiences that both entertain and inform students about the consequences of bullying.
Students at the school are encouraged to wear pink on the day because the pink shirt has become a national symbol of anti-bullying thanks to two Nova Scotia teens, who organized a high school protest to wear pink in support of a younger student who had been bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt to school.
“Students and staff come together as a school community and wear something pink on Pink Shirt Day to create a wave of pink and stand up against bullying,” Schrauwen said.
“Bullying awareness initiatives, such as Pink Shirt Day, assists in fostering self-esteem, social engagement, academic success, inclusion, acceptance, respect for self and others, and connection to the community – all of which are key elements of bullying prevention.”
