CORNER BROOK Corner Brook Regional High is continuing as leaders in pride alliance in this province by hosting the first provincial Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) conference for youth.
The high school is one of only a few in Newfoundland and Labrador with a pride alliance committee.
A current student, and president of that alliance, Kendra Wheeler receives much of the credit for standing up and being the face and voice of that committee in the school. The members hold demonstrations and raise awareness throughout the school year during events such as Pride March, Rainbow Day and Pink Shirt Day.
Four of the students recently attended Outshine 2013 — the first national lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) conference for youth in Ontario. Inspired by an overwhelming experience there, the students are now ready to bring that level of education and pride to this province.
Graduating student Brandon Eastman said he expects to be still involved in the event as a student at Grenfell Campus of Memorial University. He said education is the biggest benefit of hosting such an event.
“I think it is a very big move on the part of our education system and government here in Newfoundland,” he said, following the announcement of the event to community partners Wednesday evening. “It shows they are moving towards a real step towards human rights and equalities.”
The proposal to host the event is before government, and is only now pending final approval. Because of the level of support, teacher sponsor Gerard Lowe is confident the proposal will be accepted.
Lowe had high praise for the 20-25 students who formed this committee this year, but also for the supportive environment from teachers and students at the school. He said it has proved very effective in educating all students, seeing the changes in attitudes and behaviour that has resulted.
“I have not seen one instance of homophobic bullying since we started GSA in our school,” he said. “I am not naive enough to think it is not out there, but I have not seen it.”
Positive environment
Eastman agrees that the school environment is a positive one for people of all sexual orientations and they openly support the LBGTQ community.
“Personally, I have never had any bad experiences,” he said. “Every now and again you will walk down the hallway and hear words like fag or gay. Often they are not used offensively, but I do still hear from others that have had bad experiences.
“It is here in the school, but it is not a big issue.”
The small group of students who attended Outshine 2013 were forever changed by the experience, according to Mattie MacNeil. She said being around so many like-minded people provided her with a sense of belonging that she was not used to.
“The entire time I was at Outshine I felt extremely comfortable with everyone I came across,” she said. “That was just so amazing, because I don’t get a lot of that in school. I didn’t know anybody but everybody was so nice, and made me feel welcomed.”
A number of the community partners who work with the committee on events, and contributed financially to the trip, were at the school Wednesday for the announcement. They were asked to become involved in the event expected to be hosted in the spring of 2014, and to think about what they would like to see be a part of it.
Twitter: WS_CoryHurley
CORNER BROOK Corner Brook Regional High is continuing as leaders in pride alliance in this province by hosting the first provincial Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) conference for youth.
The high school is one of only a few in Newfoundland and Labrador with a pride alliance committee.
A current student, and president of that alliance, Kendra Wheeler receives much of the credit for standing up and being the face and voice of that committee in the school. The members hold demonstrations and raise awareness throughout the school year during events such as Pride March, Rainbow Day and Pink Shirt Day.
Four of the students recently attended Outshine 2013 — the first national lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) conference for youth in Ontario. Inspired by an overwhelming experience there, the students are now ready to bring that level of education and pride to this province.
Graduating student Brandon Eastman said he expects to be still involved in the event as a student at Grenfell Campus of Memorial University. He said education is the biggest benefit of hosting such an event.
“I think it is a very big move on the part of our education system and government here in Newfoundland,” he said, following the announcement of the event to community partners Wednesday evening. “It shows they are moving towards a real step towards human rights and equalities.”
The proposal to host the event is before government, and is only now pending final approval. Because of the level of support, teacher sponsor Gerard Lowe is confident the proposal will be accepted.
Lowe had high praise for the 20-25 students who formed this committee this year, but also for the supportive environment from teachers and students at the school. He said it has proved very effective in educating all students, seeing the changes in attitudes and behaviour that has resulted.
“I have not seen one instance of homophobic bullying since we started GSA in our school,” he said. “I am not naive enough to think it is not out there, but I have not seen it.”
Positive environment
Eastman agrees that the school environment is a positive one for people of all sexual orientations and they openly support the LBGTQ community.
“Personally, I have never had any bad experiences,” he said. “Every now and again you will walk down the hallway and hear words like fag or gay. Often they are not used offensively, but I do still hear from others that have had bad experiences.
“It is here in the school, but it is not a big issue.”
The small group of students who attended Outshine 2013 were forever changed by the experience, according to Mattie MacNeil. She said being around so many like-minded people provided her with a sense of belonging that she was not used to.
“The entire time I was at Outshine I felt extremely comfortable with everyone I came across,” she said. “That was just so amazing, because I don’t get a lot of that in school. I didn’t know anybody but everybody was so nice, and made me feel welcomed.”
A number of the community partners who work with the committee on events, and contributed financially to the trip, were at the school Wednesday for the announcement. They were asked to become involved in the event expected to be hosted in the spring of 2014, and to think about what they would like to see be a part of it.
Twitter: WS_CoryHurley
