Anti-Bullying Day in New Brunswick Date in the current year: December 17, 2024

Bullying is systematic and repeated aggressive behavior intended to hurt another person physically, mentally or emotionally. Some people are quick to dismiss bullying, claiming that conflict is an inevitable part of life, but bullying is different from conflict.

Conflict is a disagreement or argument in which both sides express their views and there is a chance of resolution. Bullying is aggressive behavior where one person exerts power and control over another; it is always characterized by an imbalance of physical and/or social power. The primary bully often has one or more followers who reinforce their behavior; bullying done by a group of people is called mobbing.

Since bullying is an ongoing problem that affects millions of people around the globe, there are many anti-bullying campaigns and awareness days. For example, in New Brunswick, Canada, Anti-Bullying Day is observed annually on December 17 to commemorate the day when Rob Benn-Frenette and Katie Thompson launched BullyingCanada (bullyincanada.ca), Canada’s first national anti-bullying website created and run by youth.

Both Benn-Frenette and Thompson were bullied by their peers for years: made fun of, threatened, humiliated in front of their classmates, and even assaulted physically. After searching tirelessly for help, they came up with nothing and decided to take matters into their own hands. They teamed up to create a website where kids like them would find advice, guidance, and support when their own communities or schools were unwilling or unable to help.

BullyingCanada was launched on December 17, 2006, when Benn-Frenette was 17 and Thompson was 14; it has since become one of Canada’s leading anti-bullying resources with a dedicated team of volunteers who are ready to help bullied kids 24/7. Three years after the site’s launch, the provincial government of New Brunswick designated December 17 as Anti-Bullying Day, also known as Blue Day, to raise public awareness about bullying, promote acceptance of others ant tolerance of people’s differences, and facilitate the creation of safe, inclusive and positive environments for children and adults alike.

To mark Anti-Bullying Day, people are encouraged to show their support for bullying victims and survivors by wearing something blue in schools and workplaces, organizing anti-bullying events in their local schools and communities, donating to charities that support bullying victims, and helping to spread awareness on social media with the hashtags #AntiBullyingDay, #BlueDay and #StopBullying.

New Brunswick’s Anti-Bullying Day is not the only campaign against bullying in Canada. Other bullying awareness days include Pink Shirt Day, observed across the country on the last Wednesday of February, and Stand Up Against Bullying Day, held in Nova Scotia on the second Thursday of September.