Kuranui College students watch out for their mates on Pink Shirt Day.

Recently Roger (SADD’s Fundraising and Engagement Manager) caught up with Emma from Kuranui College in the Wairarapa, to chat about how her SADD group expanded to get involved with Pink Shirt Day.

Emma is the one in the middle!

Roger: Hi Emma, Thanks for putting your hand up for a blog about your SADD group’s experience in supporting Pink Shirt Day 2021.

Q.  Tell me a little about yourself, how you got started with SADD and your group – how it came together

As the SADD Committee, we run within the Kuranui College Student Council. So there are a few members from each year group who submitted an application and were then picked by the Principal.  After years of not having SADD at Kuranui, last year the Student Council leaders figured that this would be an awesome opportunity to revitalise it. They reached out and that's really where it all started. We feel that as you come into your senior years at school and know more and more people driving, the necessity for promoting safer driving just increases hugely as it just becomes far more personal. This is definitely why we have continued with it this year and gotten even more involved. 

Q.  How did the idea to support Pink Shirt Day this year come about?  Did it come from the group or somewhere else?

We have celebrated Pink Shirt Day at Kuranui College for many years as it is a really great nationwide event. As the Student Council/SADD Committee we decided to hop on board and get involved with it for the first time as we have four prefects also in our group. As the prefects do a lot of the organising for Pink Shirt Day, everything all just kind of crossed over. 

Q.  Tell us about the shirts

Sometime last year, we had someone from the ‘What About U’ campaign come and talk to our SADD Committee about designing the shirts. We worked alongside them and came up with some ideas that we thought would be very effective for teenagers as this is who we wanted them to be targeted for. The campaign is mainly about safe and sober driving. When it came to colours, we thought we would be able to get lots of people wearing and promoting them if they were pink, as it would coincide with what is obviously a huge event for Kuranui College. 

The shirts have ‘Watch out for your mates” printed on the back, as this is something we felt would really resonate with lots of people. It is actually quite a thought-provoking phrase and really makes you think about the people you know and love. The best part about it too is that it can cover so many other things as well.

Q.  We’re fully behind Pink Shirt Day and Sticks ‘n Stones.  How did your group share the message around bullying, and did they learn anything from the event?

Pink Shirt Day is always a non-uniform day, and everyone is obviously encouraged to wear pink. The shirts were one of the best ways we found to share our message. There would have been at least 30 students and staff wearing them on the day which was so great to see. In addition to this, we also held an assembly where we discussed some tough topics and really pushed forward not only the anti-bullying message but more the idea of celebrating diversity. Our core message was really that everyone deserves to feel safe and supported no matter who they are. The aim of the day was really just to bring awareness to this, and there is no doubt that we did this for sure. 

Q.  Normally SADD groups focus on road safety but there are times and opportunities for SADD groups to use their collective voice for other things.  Did you find it easy to direct SADD temporarily to another cause?

As I mentioned earlier, as SADD runs within the Student Council, which includes prefects and students with other roles within the school, everything just ties together. When you really look into it, the underlying message of everything is to look after yourself and those around you, so of course, SADD was the perfect way to use our collective voice. The ‘What About U’ t-shirts also played a huge role in this, so we would like to say a huge thank you to them for donating them to us and letting us be a part of their important cause. 

Q.  Do you have any plans for SAFER September, and do you plan to register early to get your limited-edition SADD car air fresheners?  If you have already registered – did you find it easy?  How do you think you will use your batch of air fresheners if you have been an early bird?

Yes, we are registered! It was super easy to find on the website. We will for sure use the air fresheners!

We have a range of plans but one of our biggest is a bit of a social media takeover on the Kuranui College Instagram. Check it out in September!