Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County, as well as other children’s aid societies in Ontario and key partners marked Child Abuse Prevention Month on Oct. 19 with a provincial Go Purple Day.
The event was meant to raise awareness about how it takes a community working together to prevent child abuse. The provincial hashtag for the campaign is #iBREAKthesilence.
This year, boards of education and schools across the province joined the Go Purple Day initiative by dressing in purple and participating in various “iBREAKthesilence” activities such as tweeting out photos with the campaign hashtag.
Both the Wellington Catholic District School Board and Upper Grand District School Board were involved in Go Purple Day activities.
The newly formed Wellington Catholic student senate invited students across the board to talk with youth and adults in their lives and ask them to speak up if and when they hear about children and youth who may be in harm’s way.
“I think the Go Purple Day campaign is important for all kids to know about,” said student organizer Cole Hannam from St. James Catholic High School. “We have to speak up for those kids that can’t.”
The Upper Grand also recognized the importance of working together to keep children and youth safe.
“We as educators play an important role in keeping children safe and providing support for our students and their families,” said Upper Grand director of education Martha Rogers.
Every Ontarian has a role to play in protecting children and supporting vulnerable families.
To report concerns about the safety of a child or youth call 519-824-2410 or 1-800-265-8300.
