Out In Schools

At the end of April/beginning of May, we went on tour to Comox Valley/the unceded lands of the K’ómoks First Nation! Danny, Lydia, and Ian visited all 6 middle and high schools in the district and connected with around 1500 students, teachers, and community members!

Some of our highlights from this tour included:
⭐ a community session organized by the District Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC) and Comox Valley Pride Society where we spoke on a panel to engaged parents wanting to better support their q***r & trans youth in Comox
⭐ meeting many q***r and trans youth at QSA/GSA's who felt seen by the q***r films we shared
⭐ the teachers who helped make this tour such a success, responding to questions, sharing their learning journeys, and regulating their classrooms during presentations. One teacher whose child received a presentation early in the week surprised us with flowers 💐 when we visited her school!

Unfortunately, on this trip, we also witnessed the impact of increased anti-trans and anti-gay sentiments across BC and the country. We had students walk out of every presentation, and heard from q***r and trans students about horrific experiences of bullying and violence and lack of support from educators when they reported these incidents.

We followed up with school administrators to suggest ways for staff to best support students and to offer Out In Schools programs where needed. These incidents showed that our work is still very necessary.

+

Thank you to everyone who joined us or donated to our Day of Pink fundraiser screening of Summer Qamp! We were treated to a spectacular drag performance from Mx. Bukuru (filling in for Toddy who was out sick). We also had a special guest speaker, longtime supporter and former Out On Screen staff Sam Bourne, share some beautiful words in support of Out In Schools alongside his generous match donation.

With your support, we were able to raise a grand total of $12,000 in support of the Out In Schools program.

We are so grateful for the support of our community, which makes our work possible. 💛 Special thanks to Vancouver Film Studios for supporting this event, as well as all of our community partners and volunteers.

Photos by August Bramhoff and Out On Screen.