Cops and kids came together the “lift each other up” through inspirational artwork to mark Pink Shirt Day on the West Shore.
Officers from West Shore RCMP Community Policing Services and Indigenous Policing Services worked with students from Dunsmuir Middle School, Spencer Middle School and Esquimalt Nation to create inspiring art projects.
“Lift each other up” is among the slogans used for Pink Shirt Day, which lands on Feb. 28 this year. The annual campaign aims to raise awareness of bullying at school, work and online, as well as raise funds to support programs that foster children’s healthy self-esteem.
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“The project encourages kids to look beyond our differences and celebrate the things that make each of us unique. Kindness is a gift everyone can give and the students really enjoyed creating art with the officers,” Dunsmuir teacher Erin Larson said in a news release.
The officers recreated Pink Shirt Day images on large canvas and asked the students to draw their own inspirational messages which were then added to the canvas. The canvases are on display at the schools and Esquimalt Nation to raise awareness about the impacts of bullying.
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“The art project was fun for us and the students who created some amazing artwork,” said Const. Justina Webb, a West Shore RCMP Community Policing Officer.
Webb is an accomplished artist herself and is in the final stages of becoming an RCMP certified Police Sketch Artist.