Ask Peter and Pamphinette

Ask Peter and Pamphinette

Send in your questions to special guests of the WITS Pink Shirt Day Live national broadcast: beloved author & illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds and Canadian rugby star, Pamphinette Buisa!

Special guests, Pamphinette Buisa and Peter H Reynolds will be participating in a Q&A session during Pink Shirt Day Live, WITS’ national online broadcast on Pink Shirt Day this February 26. We are currently gathering questions from schools across Canada and there is still time for participating schools to submit questions. If you’ve already registered, we would love to involve your students in the conversation and invite you to encourage your classroom to submit 2-3 questions for each guest.

Peter H Reynolds is the beloved author and illustrator of The North Star, The Dot, and Ish and he also illustrated the bestselling Someday by Alison McGhee, Tess’s Tree by Jess M. Brallier, and the bestselling Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald.

The unstoppable Pamphinette Buisa is a Canadian rugby star and champion for positive change. Pamphinette is deeply committed to promoting equity, inclusion, and empowerment through sport. Her activism and community work focus on addressing systemic inequalities and inspiring marginalized youth to pursue their dreams, embodying a powerful blend of athletic excellence and social impact.

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to engage with amazing individuals who continue to inspire and uplift others through their work and personal values and gain insights into their incredible journey.

Please include the following details and submit the below information in video, audio, or written format to info@witsprogram.ca by February 21, 2025. We will compile the questions and ensure that as many as possible are addressed during Pink Shirt Day Canada Live:

  1. Your province
  2. Student and school name
  3. Two to three questions for each guest

Thank you for your participation and support in making this event memorable for students across the country!

 

Register for Pink Shirt Day Canada Live

 

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Funding for Vancouver Island Schools

Attention elementary schools on Vancouver Island!

If you don’t already run WITS programs at your school, now would be a good time to start! Country Grocer has kindly offered to support new WITS programs in three Vancouver Island schools, preferably located close to their stores in Nanaimo, Victoria and Cowichan Valley.

WITS is a program created by educators for educators to help children prevent victimization, such as bullying, discrimination and lateral violence. The WITS program gives children aged 4 to 12 the tools to manage conflicts and empowers them to make safe, positive choices within their community. The four WITS strategies have been applied by Canadian students for over 25 years. Learn more about our literature-based programs starting with the WITS Core Module: witsprogram.ca/programs/wits/.

And other donors are offering support to schools wishing to implement Focus Modules! These new educational tools support inclusion, anti-racism and Indigenous education for two age groups. Requested by Canadian educators, Focus Module topics include race/culture diversity, SOGI (sexual orientation & gender identity), diverse abilities, Indigenous people & cultures and cyberbullying & online safety. Similar other WITS modules, Focus Modules are literature based. Kits include topic-specific books, lesson plans, activities, online tools. Learn more about Focus Modules here: witsprogram.ca/programs/focus-modules/

To find out how your Vancouver Island school can qualify for this funding, call WITS at 1-855-858-8766 or email info@witsprogram.ca

Thank-you to Country Grocers and to all our generous donors!

 

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Register for Pink Shirt Day Canada!

Register for Pink Shirt Day Canada Live

It’s that time of year again! Pink Shirt Day is coming: February 26!

Remember last year when you found out about Pink Shirt Day Canada (after it happened) and that thousands of students from all across Canada participated in a live online broadcast? Remember how you thought, “I’m going to make sure my school is registered to participate next year!” Well, now is the time to make good on your promise! Read on to find out what’s happening THIS Pink Shirt Day.

Welcoming an old friend…

Pink Shirt Day Canada Live is coming together again and this year, hosts, Maya Kara and WITSUp the Walrus will once again welcome Peter H. Reynolds, whose stories are read all over the world. He is the beloved author and illustrator of The North Star, The Dot, and Ish and he also illustrated the bestselling Someday by Alison McGhee, Tess’s Tree by Jess M. Brallier, and the bestselling Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald.

New to the 2025 broadcast will be two inspirational young Canadians: Willie Poll and Pamphinette Buisa.

Willie is a trailblazer who advocates for Indigenous youth to create a better future for them. She is a Métis author from the Robinson Huron Treaty Territory (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada) and a proud member of the Metis Nation of Ontario. She will be embarking on a book tour in eastern Canada later this spring.

The unstoppable Pamphinette Buisa is a Canadian rugby star and champion for positive change. Pamphinette is deeply committed to promoting equity, inclusion, and empowerment through sport. Her activism and community work focus on addressing systemic inequalities and inspiring marginalized youth to pursue their dreams, embodying a powerful blend of athletic excellence and social impact.

This year, WITS offers two broadcast times: a morning and an an afternoon time slot. You can choose the broadcast time that suits your school best. Just make sure you pay special attention to your time zone.

You can also order pink shirts for your students, staff members and even parents! This year’s One Heart, One Mind pink T-Shirt was designed by Kadence Lánahmats George, a 13-year old artist from Səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). Proceeds support WITS Programs Foundation bullying prevention and kindness initiatives as well as Indigenous community programs, through our partners at Indigenous Marketing, of the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council.

There’s only a month left to organize! Visit: pinkshirtdaycanada.ca/ and get your school registered. You can also check back on the PSD website for new developments as we continue to add more features to the show! For instance, after you register, you can submit questions to be asked during the Q&A portion of the broadcast.

Don’t delay. Today would be a great day to register!

Register for Pink Shirt Day Canada Live

 

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2025 Pink Shirt Design Released

Order your 2025 Pink Shirts today!

This year’s One Heart, One Mind pink T-Shirt was designed by Kadence Lánahmats George, a 13-year old artist from Səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). Kilila (Butterflies) hold deep cultural significance as a symbol of transformation and embody the spirit of “one heart, one mind,” where togetherness and collective strength are celebrated.

Proceeds support WITS Programs Foundation bullying prevention and kindness initiatives as well as Indigenous community programs, through our partners at Indigenous Marketing, of the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council.

Place Orders
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The WITS Poster, Video, and Photo Contest is back!

We are excited to launch our annual multi-media contest and share the message of kindness! The contest is open to students in elementary grades in Canadian schools that use the WITS Programs. We are inviting students to express themselves creatively by sharing their experiences with WITS through posters, videos, or photos. Students have a chance to win a WITS Prize Pack, which include 3 WITS Picks Books, a notebook, a WITS poster and reminder gift bag. We ask that teachers collect all submissions from their students (please note the name of your school, the student’s name, grade, and age) and submit them digitally to us. File Requirements: Posters in PDF, JPG or PNG format, maximum 1 MB, or Photos in JPG or PNG format, maximum 6 MB, or Videos in MP4 or MOV format, less than 90 seconds, maximum 15 Mb. Submissions can be sent by email to info@witsprogram.ca, or share with info@witsprogram.ca via Dropbox! The deadline for student’s submissions is May 27th, 2022.

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WITS Program Foundation receives Canadian Heritage funding for national Canadian Kindness Leaders Project!

WITS Program Foundation has received funding from Canadian Heritage for their Canadian Kindness Leaders project. Canadian Kindness Leaders will engage more than 10,000 youth aged from 9 to 12 in British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec, and in both official languages. From art projects to volunteering, youth involved in the project will use their creativity to encourage and promote lateral kindness, empathy, appreciation, diversity, and inclusion.

“We are very proud that Canadian Heritage is providing funding for us to reach Canadian youth across the country” said Andy Telfer, Executive Director of the WITS Programs Foundation. “Especially at this time of uncertainty, by participating in this project, youth will show that kindness is important in Canada and that they can make a positive difference.”

I found the WITS Program to be an exceptional tool to help children learn at an early age how to deal with peer victimization, and how important it is to treat each other with respect. Until bullying and peer victimization are a thing of the past, I strongly encourage other schools to implement the WITS program on an annual basis.

– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage

The project engages youth in two stages. In the first stage, it uses the evidence-based WITS LEADerS training curriculum to empower youth to develop problem-solving skills to peacefully resolve peer conflicts. This program provides strategies to prevent peer victimization and bullying by engaging youth in leadership activities, demonstrating how youth can help themselves, their peers, and younger children to “use their WITS”.

In the second stage, youth will develop kindness-based community projects. Through an online sharing platform, youth will post their projects and connect with other youth across Canada. In addition, youth will vote on the most inspiring youth action project. Inspiring projects will be recognized near Pink Shirt Day, Canada’s national anti-bullying day.

The overall aim of the project is to empower youth to participate in civic life and lead through positive actions. The project will promote and support priorities including kindness, diversity, inclusion and connect with official language minority communities in Canada.

To learn more about the WITS Program Foundation and its Canadian Kindness Leaders Project, visit https://www.canadiankindnessleaders.ca/

Media contact, CKL Program Manager, Renée Cenerini, at pmgr@witsprogram.ca or call 250-386-7625 or Toll free at 1-855-858-8766

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