LGBT History Month 2012

In this pack:

IntroductionLGBT History Month exists to celebrate LGBT culture and achievements and to raise awareness of issues facing the LGBT community – read more in the LGBT History Month values. This pack also aims to celebrate inclusion and diversity in a positive and affirmative way whilst challenging homophobia.

“We never educate directly, but indirectly by means of the environment”

John Dewey “Democracy and Education” 

You should aim to provide a safe environment where all young people are free to explore their sexual identity, gay or straight, and share their stories and experiences in a space that is:

• Supportive and welcoming

• Provides accessible information for young people

• Embraces diversity and creates an environment where everyone should feel valued without encountering prejudice or homophobia.

No one should be forced to participate in discussions, or put in a position where they’d draw unwanted attention to themselves by refusing to share when asked. There are many reasons why young people may be reluctant to discuss their views on this topic and these need to be respected by establishing strong boundaries and ground rules for your work.

Thanks to Vanessa Rodgers for session ideas and Angela Ford and her team for their valuable input

Hallmarks of Good Practice Working With LGBT Young People

• Everyone is treated with respect and you tackle homophobia in the same way as racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination 

• Your anti-bullying policies take into account LGBT issues and are visible within the group setting

• You use images that present and reflect diversity• Your practices are open and inclusive and do not automatically assume that everyone

is heterosexual• Mainstream services are available to everyone• Staff have LGBT awareness training and understand the needs and vulnerabilities

that LGBT young people have• You have knowledge about the range of LGBT facilities and resources available –

both nationally and in the local community

Taken from http://www.safenetwork.org.uk/training_and_awareness/Pages/supporting-lgbt-young-people.aspx

If you are unfamiliar with working with these issues, we’ve sent you two useful guides from Stonewall: ‘Challenging Homophobic Language’ and ‘Supporting Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young People’. You can download additional copies here: http://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_school/education_resources/default.asp

LGBT History Month ValuesRecognise and promote awareness of LGBT history Celebrate the contribution made by LGBT people to society Provide an opportunity for reflection on the history of discrimination of LGBT people

Provide an opportunity to educate and inform subsequent generations of LGBT history, highlighting discrimination and celebrating diversity

Celebrate LGBT people in a positive and affirming context, which promotes inclusion and equality Focus national attention on the LGBT community, and provide an opportunity to discuss the ways in which LGBT equality can be enhanced at a local and national level Assert the need for continuing vigilance and the championing of LGBT rights in an international context Assert a continuing commitment to challenging and eradicating homophobia, biphobia and transphobia Promote an inclusive society, free from homophobia, biphobia and transphobia

Aims, Objectives & Outcomes

Top LGBT websiteswww.LGBThistorymonth.org.uk The official website for LGBT History

Month

www.schools-out.org.uk School’s Out supports LGBT young people

www.LGBTyouth.org.uk LGBT Youth has an excellent range of information sheets for young people

www.stonewall.org.uk Stonewall campaigns on LGBT issues

www.lgf.org.uk LGF offer advice & support on a range of LGBT issues

www.queeryouth.org.uk/community Queer Youth supports LGBT young people in the UK

http://www.glaad.org GLAAD has a wide range of resources and information

Top LGBT websiteswww.turingnetwork.org.uk/ Community driven directory for LGBT

life

www.avert.org/teens.htm Avert pages for young people

www.imaan.org.uk Imaan supports LGBT muslim people

http://bit.ly/KentpoliceLGBTYP Kent Police advice for LGBT young people

www.outeverywhere.com/ Out Everywhere is an online social club for LGBT people

www.fflag.org.uk/ FFLAG supports families & friends of LGBT young people

http://eachaction.org.uk/ EACH homophobia reources

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjU2FeU_3qI BBC programme on gay sportspeople

IcebreakersKEEPING IT SECRET Seat the group in a circle and give each member of the group a piece of paper and ask them to write down the thing they are least proud of and wouldn’t want anyone else to know. Once everyone has written this down, tell them to fold the paper securely. Now ask them to exchange their paper with the person opposite them. Now exchange again with the person on their right. Ask the group how they feel, knowing that someone else in the group holds their secret. Do they feel angry? Scared? Insecure? Remind them that people who are bullied for being ‘different’ often feel the same. Now hand round a wastebin or similar and make sure every group member gets rid of the paper. Remind them that the session will be about celebrating difference and making good decisions and that they’re all starting with a clean slate.

AGREE/DISAGREE designate one area ‘agree’ and one area ‘disagree’. Young people may NOT choose the middle of the room! Encourage them to take a definite position on the following statements:

There are LGBT young people in every city in the UKSome people hate LGBT people they’ve never even metLGBT and heterosexual young people are the same in most waysIf I knew one of my friends was LGBT that would be OKLGBT young people should be able to get marriedLGBT young people don’t deserve to get bullied because they’re different

Be sensitive to the fact that some young people will disagree with these positive statements – try and challenge them positively.

IcebreakersGENDER STEREOTYPES Trace a male and a female body on flip chart paper, then have a free-for-all where everyone writes/expresses as many gender stereotypes as they can think of, and place those stereotypes on the bodies where they would apply (i.e. "boys are smart at math" would be placed on the head of the male body). From here, you can talk about how gender stereotypes and traits relate to perceptions about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people - as well as how these stereotypes limit our possibilities, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This ice breaker helps young people to recognize that everyone has different traits that don't define our sexual orientation or gender.

COMMON GROUND ask the group to stand in a circle. One person begins by saying, "I've got a younger sister," or some other statement that is true for them. Everyone for whom this is also true steps into the centre of the circle. Everyone who doesn't have a younger sister stays on the outside. You can always choose not to step into the circle. The game often brings up personal and important issues that young people may not want to discuss in a more formal setting. This also allows us to recognize our differences and similarities as, by the time everyone has made a statement, all young people in the group will probably have something in common with every other young person.

Facilitating DiscussionControversial topics often make for great discussions but these issues can often give rise to deep emotions and strong beliefs. You will need to establish an atmosphere that encourages young people to feel safe and to share their ideas and thoughts openly and honestly.

BE CLEAR ON YOUR AIMS & OBJECTIVES

Think carefully about what you want the group to share – explain confidentiality and be able to offer support or signpost to an appropriate agency

REMIND EVERYONE THEY’RE INVOLVED IN A DIALOGUE NOT A DEBATE

Debate is about being right – dialogue is about listening and understanding other people’s points of view

ESTABLISH GROUND RULES ON ACCEPTABLE LANGUAGE

Be clear on what language will be challenged and what is not acceptable. Encourage specifics not generalisations

ENSURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO BE HEARD

Try using a talking stick – an object that, when held, means only the holder can speak – to ensure everyone gets a turn

ENCOURAGE ACTIVE LISTENING

Encourage the group to listen without interrupting, then check question to make sure they’ve understood what was said

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND GROUP MEMBERS

If things get too intense, tell the group to take a break or organise a quiet individual activity

LEAVE TIME TO EVALUATE

Evaluation and planning for future action can leave a group optimistic and empowered

Discussion PointsRead the poem by Pastor Niemuller. Now try substituting the words ‘gay’, ‘lesbian’, ‘bisexual’ and ‘transgender’ – does it change your view about the poem? How might a situation like this happen? And what is the message of the poem?

LGBT History Month 2012 is focusing on sport. The Justin Campaign confronts homophobia in professional football and sport as a whole. The England wicketkeeper Steven Davies has announced he is gay – becoming the first professional cricketer to publicly out himself. Did he do the right thing? Why do you think that most sportspeople choose to hide their sexuality?

Read the story about Roger Crouch and his son Dominic who was a victim of homophobic bullying http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/01/gay-bullying-campaigner-roger-crouch-dead What would you do to make sure that your centre is a safe space for all young people? How would you challenge homophobic bullying?

Print out and display in your centre – try sticking discussion points on tables, notice boards & even in the loo!

Discussion PointsSir Elton John is probably the most high profile same sex parent in the world. He’s also in a civil partnership. Do you think LGBT people should be able to get married in church? Do you think gay & lesbian couples make good parents?

How do you feel about someone calling Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas a ‘faggot’ (US slang for gay) because he thought it was the worst insult he could think of? What do you think of the use of the word ‘gay’ as an insult?

Do you think sexual orientation and gender identity are the same thing? Do you think people choose to be gay? Do you think people choose to change their gender?

Print out and display in your centre – try sticking discussion points on tables, notice boards & even in the loo!

First They Came…

First they came for the JewAnd I did not speak out-Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communistsAnd I did not speak out-

For I was not a communist.Next they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out-Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for meAnd there was no one left

To speak out for me.Pastor Niemuller

Session Ideas – LGBT Life Stories

Banned Subjects – LGBT Life Stories

• Places you go out to• Hobbies• People you fancy• Friends• The prospect of having a family and/or children• Films & TV programmes• Music you like• Books/magazines• Holidays• Clubs you belong to• Your family• Your religious beliefs• What you did last night

Session Ideas – LGBT Role Models

LGBT Role Models

Session Ideas – What Did You Call Me?

Session Ideas – Drawing Conclusions

Young People’s Challenges

Ideas for Evaluation QuestionsWhen you’re preparing to evaluate with young people, think about the following questions:

• What knowledge or understanding did you expect young people to get out of this activity/session?

• What did you want them to think differently about or be more aware of?

• What would you like young people to be able to do next?

• What might young people go on to achieve as a result of this session?

• What might young people do differently now?

• What different situations might young people apply this learning to in future?

Ask questions around the knowledge and understanding young people will have gained:

• Have you learned about…?

• Do you understand more about….?

Ask questions about the positive impact:

• Did you enjoy this activity or session?

• Now that you’ve done this activity will you…?

Ask questions about how much young people have enjoyed it:

• Did you have fun taking part in the session?

• Did anything surprise you about the session?

Rainbow Flag Evaluation IdeasThe colours in the Rainbow flag represent:

RED = Life

ORANGE = Healing

YELLOW = Sunlight

GREEN = Nature

BLUE = Serenity/harmony

PURPLE = Spirit

Draw a large Rainbow flag on flip chart paper and ask young people if they know what it symbolises. Introduce them to the meaning of the colours. Now ask young people to put a coloured sticky dot (or make a mark) next to

RED If they enjoyed icebreakers

ORANGE If they enjoyed discussions

YELLOW If they enjoyed working together

GREEN If they enjoyed individual work

BLUE If they enjoyed art based activity

PURPLE If they enjoyed speaking out!

Rainbow Flag Evaluation IdeasAt this stage, you can ask a more focused group to devise their own evaluation questions in groups, bearing in mind the meanings of the colours. Otherwise ask young people to answer the following evaluation questions by writing a few words or drawing an image on each stripe in turn:

• RED = How has the session changed your views?

• ORANGE = What was the most interesting or thought provoking activity?

• YELLOW = What was the best thing about the session?

• GREEN = What would you like to do next?

• BLUE = What activity did you get the most out of?

• PURPLE = How did the session make you feel?

Card Sort Evaluation• AIM: This is a good evaluation for small groups to evaluate outcomes: what they’ve learned from

the activity or session and what they might do differently in future as a result.

• METHOD: Write a series of statements on cards - make sure you have one set of cards for each group and include some blank cards for young people to add their own statements or rewrite yours!

• IMPLEMENTATION: Ask the group to choose the cards that most apply to them, and rank them in order of how much they agree with them. Now ask each group to take away the statements that least apply.

• DISCUSSION:

– Are young people happy with their rankings – did everyone in the group agree?

– What differences were there, and on what grounds they chose to take some statements away?

– Suggest that young people write down the key statements they put at the top of each list and keep them as a record of their own achievements and outcomes.

Quick Evaluations – Distance TravelledTHUMBS UP EVALUATION this is a quick and simple evaluation based on yes/no questions. It’s also a good evaluation for young people less comfortable with word or language based evaluations.

Gather the group in a circle and tell them they can give 3 responses:

YES NO NOT SURE, MAYBE

YES/NO QUESTIONNAIRE devise a set of easy ‘yes/no’ questions you can ask at the start of the session e.g. ‘Are you looking forward to this session’ and make a note of responses. Now reframe the questions to suit an end of session evaluation e.g. ‘did you enjoy the session’ and again note the responses. This is a quick and easy way of noting distance travelled during the session

THREE WORD EVALUATION ask each young person to think of three words that sum up how they feel at the start of the session – these could refer to how they feel personally, how they feel about the session, how their day has been etc. Note their responses. At the end of the session ask each young person to evaluate how they feel in 3 words and again note responses. Use these as a discussion starter on what they feel has changed during the course of the session.

“I Would Say…” Evaluation• METHOD: This works best for individuals and can be done either using the ‘I would say…’

sheets, or you can reproduce the speech bubbles on sheets of flip chart paper and ask young people to add their comments.

• IMPLEMENTATION: Hand out the sheets or ask young people to add their comments to the larger sheets – remind young people that they don’t have to use words and that they can use images instead if they feel more comfortable. Encourage young people to be creative in the way they use the sheet.

• ACCREDITING/RECORDING: This sheet can be used as an ongoing evaluation record for a young person or as part of an accreditation scheme. Use it regularly to end sessions and each sheet can be used as a review tool to cover the duration of their time working with you. It will enable you to see whether their learning needs are being met and enable the young person to see their progress.

I Would Say….

This bit went really well…

These are some things I learned…

Next time I’d like to find out more about….

Blob Tree Evaluation• METHOD: Hand out the blob tree sheet to each young person. Give them a few moments to look

at the image and interpret what each blob might be feeling. Explain that you want to give everyone a chance to record how they’re feeling about the session work you’ve been doing. Ask each young person to colour in the blob that most reflects how they feel.

• IMPLEMENTATION: Ask young people to get into small groups and dicuss their reasons for choosing their blob - be aware that this could raise sensitive issues for some young people and be prepared to help them deal with that.

• DISCUSSION: You can ask young people to respond to a variety of questions using the blob tree and discussion of the different attitudes and behaviours of the blobs. Encourage young people to be creative and add their own blobs or provide them with a blank tree that can be shared between a small group. 

The blob tree is an excellent tool to use at the start and finish of a session to record distance travelled by young people.

The Blob Tree

Blank Blob Tree