Creating Safe Schools with Roz Ward - PTE029

Pushing The Edge with Greg Curran

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.'

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 1 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.

Our special guest is Roz Ward, Manager of the Safe Schools Coalition in Victoria, Australia.

For full Show-Notes, go to: http://PushingTheEdge.org/29

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 - http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.au/

? Safe Schools Coalition Australia on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SafeSchoolsAust

? The ground-breaking, Writing Themselves In report on same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse young people - https://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/downloads/arcshs-research-publications/WTi3.pdf

? MindMatters (Australia) - Mental Health teaching program and resources - http://www.mindmatters.edu.au/

? All of Us - Australian Teaching Resource that supports gender diversity, sexual diversity and intersex topics - http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.au/all-of-us

? GLSEN (USA)- Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Educators' Network - http://www.glsen.org/

? Stonewall Training and Resources for Teachers (England and Scotland) - http://www.stonewall.org.uk/get-involved/education

? Minus18 Australia's largest youth-led network for gay, bisexual, lesbian and trans teens - https://minus18.org.au/

Related Podcasts:

? Making a Difference by not playing it safe (Part 1) - http://pushingtheedge.org/making-a-difference/

? Making a Difference by not playing it safe (Part 2) - http://pushingtheedge.org/making-a-difference-part-2/

? Find your voice and really connect with Jenny Moes - http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/3176934

? Challenging and transforming our worlds with Nakisha Hobbs - http://pushingtheedge.org/student-activism/

Related Posts:

? Sometimes it's not so easy to be true to ourselves by @GregBCurran - http://pushingtheedge.org/hiding/

? 5 ways to get from Survive to Thrive if you're hiding who you are by @GregBCurran - http://pushingtheedge.org/survive-to-thrive-2/

Additional Resources:

The Pushing The Edge Podcast Archive: http://PushingTheEdge.org or https://goo.gl/yJAZFm

Social Justice Resources: http://PushingTheEdge.org/social-justice-resources

Greg Curran on Twitter - https://twitter.com/GregBCurran