Prince George, B.C. – A flash mob of blue officially kicked off National Victims of Crime Awareness Week in Prince George this morning.

170 local students participated in a four minute choreographed dance to Taylor Swift’s famous tune “Shake it Off.”

“Our theme is “shake it off,” it’s one thing to be a victim, it’s a whole other thing to overcome that,” said Krista Levar, RCMP victim services coordinator. “It’s moving past your victimization.”

So why the focus on youth?

“These youngsters are our future leaders, so it’s inspiring for them to be able to bring awareness around victims of crime,” said Bally Bassi, community, social and justice programs manager with the Elizabeth Fry Society.

“Many of our young people live in families where there’s violence within the home and where there’s family breakdown,” added Barbara Ward-Burkitt, executive director of the Prince George Native Friendship Centre. “So it’s really critical that the young people that are youth learn how to deal with those situations, to be able to connect to the resources in the community and to help their families.”

For a full listing on all the events happening during National Victims of Crime Awareness Week, click here.