By Kendell Yan
To see one’s self in the story of another is an empowering experience that helps to bridge the gaps in representation, creating empathy and understanding. This is the power of narrative, of shared experience, and it is this type of visibility and LGBTQ2+ educational dialogue that the fine folks at Out in Schools have been bringing to youth and educators across BC for the past twelve years.
Throughout December, Out in Schools is committed to Making Hallways Bright by setting a goal of raising $10,000 to reach 10,000 youth across BC with 100 in-person presentations in classrooms and other settings.
With the use of film and mixed media, Out In Schools facilitates discussions with students, educators, and administrators to challenge homophobia, transphobia, and bullying. Workshops are led by LGBTQ2+ and allied facilitators, and are suited to the individual needs of schools, aiming to foster a safer, more educated and inclusive environment for youth. In 2015/2016 44% of the youth reached by the program were outside of Metro Vancouver.
For the third year in a row, Scotiabank has pledged to match all donations made online or in person at 1205 Robson St. for the month of December, up to $5000.
“Last year we had a bit of an introduction to doing presentations for elementary schools, and we’ve been doing more presentations for teachers, educators, and administrators,” program coordinator Brandon Yan says, “we’re seeing a demand come from the adults in the room.” Kids are coming out at younger ages, Brandon tells Inside Vancouver, and so the increase in demand for Out In Schools is due in part to a lack in education within the school system on how to talk about gender expression, gender identity, and LGBTQ2+ issues with children and youth.
Brandon Yan, Out In Schools program coordinator
When a young trans person comes out in elementary school, Out In Schools steps in to take the onus away from that child in explaining themselves to the community, and also gives visibility to trans/queer experience as some of the facilitators are trans and queer themselves. The child can be a child again, and the rest of the school is now equipped with the language and the knowledge of their experience.
Approximately 70% of the money Out In Schools receives comes from individual donations, and the majority of those are queer individuals giving back to the community via the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and elsewhere. Ultimately, the program is a community driven initiative that strives to provide the tools and language for schools to continue the dialogue Out In Schools sparks well after they visit. “The idea is that by doing more work with teachers, hopefully we will have to do less,” Brandon Yan tells Inside Vancouver, “not to say that we’ll ever stop doing our work, but there is a lack of baseline knowledge around sexual identity and gender expression in schools…we are usually the conversation starters in many schools…we are the impetus for them to do some work. A year after visiting Maple Ridge they got their first gender inclusive washroom…Not to say we take full credit for these things but it’s the value we bring to more rural communities.”
Image via the Vancouver Queer Film Festival website
For many young Trans, Queer, and questioning youth, Out In Schools is their first exposure to other people like them, out and proud LGBTQ2+ leaders they can identify with, and a language that includes them as fully formed individuals in the world at large. At the core of the program, and why funding Making Hallways Bright is so important, is representation and visibility.
You can make a donation to Out In Schools this holiday season – all donations of $20 or more are tax deductible.
Kendell Yan is a queer, second-generation POC who navigates the hyphen of mixed ethnicity LGBTQ2+ living in Vancouver. Kendell has a penchant for drag Queens and Kings that borders on obsession, and he favours events that encourage free expression, inclusivity, and love in all flavours.
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