Students at schools across the Greater Montreal area wore mismatched shoes on Friday as part of the first-ever “Impossible Pair” push for inclusivity and respect. At Royal West Academy, it was casual Friday with a kick — different coloured shoes. “Our mismatched shoes represent diversity,” said Grade 11 student Ryan Berzan. The aim is to give the boot to all bullies. “There’s a lot of differences in society, but I think it shows everybody coming together and accepting those differences and being able to love one another in communities and society,” explained student Seby Napoleon. The initiative was spearheaded by Stephen Bronfman and Andy Nulman, co-founders of PACT, which stands for The Power to Act, as well as Ensemble for Respect for Diversity. “I’ve been wearing two different shoes for a long time. And what it does is it sparks the conversation. People start talking and nobody does not smile when they hear the reason why we’re in two different shoes, that we can be different yet still get along,” said Nulman. That message is being shared widely as celebrities like Howie Mandel are wearing mismatched shoes and posting it to bring awareness and raise money for the cause. Donations are collected for organizations that fight racism, sexism, cyberbullying and homophobia. Another student, Taym Abboud, doubled up on the anti-hate message by wearing pink pants along with two very different running shoes. “Anti-bullying is associated with many things. I decided to go for a pink outfit. And more than that, I feel like wearing mismatched shoes. It’s less about how it looks, but it’s more [about] that deep message behind it,” Abboud said. Nick Katalifos, general director of the English Montreal School Board, added: “We believe our students are current leaders. Our future leaders are the ones that are going to take matters into their own hands, and they’re going to make sure that we push forward with an incredible message of hope.” “The Power to Act” is something student Brianna Bramante has done. “By taking initiative and either going to the person who did the bullying or the person who was bullied is just to see how they’re feeling and if they need any outsider opinions or outsider advice.”
