It’s what we want for all our students – safe schools.
For some students though – school is the most unsafe place for them to be.
And increasingly they’re saying, ‘enough is enough if our school leaders & teachers won’t take action to make school safe for us we will.’
CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN TO MY CONVERSATION WITH – ROZ WARD
Show Guest – Roz Ward
Roz was the Manager and Co-founder of Safe Schools Coalition Victoria.
Episode Summary
In this episode of Pushing The Edge, young people taking the lead to make their schools safer and more inclusive for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students and their families.
Plus, how one organisation, The Safe Schools Coalition of Australia is supporting these students and their teachers.
We’ve got a swag of tips and insights so that you can join us and drive change in your school.
We’re also pushing the edges of normalcy, safety, voice and being an ally in another fast and furious Lightning Round.
Episode Run-Down
- Why Roz pushes the edge for gender and sexual diversity in schools (1:55)
- The school experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) students (3:10)
- How the perspectives of GLBTI young people has changed – substantially (4:12)
- How GLBTI are leading the way and changing school cultures (7:10)
- The themes young people are organizing around (8:35)
- Making connections across points of difference (9:15)
- Facing opposition: What’s the reality here? (13:55)
- Getting staff and parents on board (17:15)
- Making connection to other forms of discrimination – strategies (19:03)
- How to support GLBTI young people when you don’t have systemic support (21:31)
- How individual teachers drive change in schools (23:03)
- The sophistication of GLBTI young people’s language and activism (26:03)
- What if you lack money, technology and live in a rural location? (28:38)
- I see you, I recognize you, I accept you: The power of teacher support (29:30)
- Practical teacher strategies (31:50)
- The Lightning Round – ally, normal, safe school, voice, and pushing the edge (35:13)
- Reflecting on our chat (36:07)
Episode Links:
- Safe Schools Coalition Australia
- The ground-breaking, Writing Themselves In report on same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse young people –
- My PhD (GregBCurran) on Same-Sex Attracted Young People
- MindMatters (Australia) – Mental Health teaching program and resources
- All of Us – Australian Teaching Resource that supports gender diversity, sexual diversity and intersex topics
- GLSEN (USA)- Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Educators’ Network
- Stonewall Training and Resources for Teachers (England and Scotland)
- Minus18 Australia’s largest youth-led network for gay, bisexual, lesbian and trans teens
Safe Schools Related Podcasts:
- Making a Difference by not playing it safe (Part 1)
- Making a Difference by not playing it safe (Part 2)
- Find your voice and really connect with Jenny Moes
- Students Changing Their Worlds Through Activism with Nakisha Hobbs
Ally Related Posts:
- Sometimes it’s not so easy to be true to ourselves by @GregBCurran
- 5 ways to get from Survive to Thrive if you’re hiding who you are by @GregBCurran
Additional Resources:
