Surrey's main RCMP detachment was full of pink on Wednesday, as the City of Surrey, RCMP and CUPE 402 came together to celebrate Anti-Bullying Day and to announce the winners of the student film contest.

"I've never seen so much pink in the foyer of the detachment before," RCMP assistant commissioner Fraser MacRae said with a chuckle as he addressed the crowd.

"Bullying is a significant issue all across the country, but in Surrey we take it particularly seriously because of the significant youth population," MacRae said.

Surrey launched the 2012 Anti-Bulling Film Contest last month, inviting Surrey students to design and produce a video about battling bullies.

A team of eight Grade 9 students from Johnston Heights Secondary won the contest in the junior category with their film titled The Liberation Project.

The video focuses on a boy considers hanging himself after being bullied, but changes his mind thanks to simple kindness by fellow classmates.

Student film director Anthony Hope said all the members of the team have been bullied.

Personally, Hope has has been bullied for numerous reasons.

"I've been bullied for being gay, for my personal look, anything that somebody can find to pick on you about, they will," Hope said, adding he considered suicide.

"It escalated that far and, unfortunately, people don't really realize that. You feel alone, you feel isolated, you feel that no one's there for you."

Hope said bullying can stop when people take a stand against it.

"Bullying is happening in schools and a lot of it unfortunately is masked. It is happening. But there's something you can do about it, every little bit makes a difference."

In the senior category, a team of students from Guildford Park Secondary won with their film, titled Downfall.

Surrey wasn't the only city recognizing Anti-Bullying Day.

Delta's men and women in blue decided to sport a new colour Wednesday in support of the B.C.wide initiative.

Delta police officers also joined representatives from the DOVE (Delta Opposes Violence Everywhere) Committee and the Delta Police Youth Advisory Committee (DPYAC) at all seven secondary schools to spread information about bullying and to give the Pledge against Bullying.

During the lunch break, students at the schools had the opportunity to attend a station where they could dip their hand into pink paint and place their palm on a large white dove, as a pledge against bullying.

Visit thenownewspaper.com to see more photos from Anti-Bullying Day, including photos from White Rock's pink day.

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