New teaching resource to help support diversity

New teaching resource to help support diversity to be released at Parliament

Inside Out, a video-based teaching resource created in partnership by University of Auckland’s Dr John Fenaughty, Curative, and RainbowYOUTH, is set to be launched to the Wellington community at Parliament on Tuesday October 13th.

The free classroom resource is a month into being used by teachers in Year 7 to 13 classrooms nationwide to help increase understanding and support for students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.

Dr Fenaughty, Director of the project and lecturer in youth development at the University’s Faculty of Education and Social Work, says he was moved to create the resource to improve young people’s understanding of sexual diversity.

“For me the reason for Inside Out is because I am still aware many young queer, gender and sexually diverse young people are still experiencing very difficult situations in school and in youth groups around the country.

“It breaks my heart because for myself, as a young gay man, coming out was a very difficult time and I think our generation likes to think that things have got better for the current generation of sexually diverse young people.

“Things have gotten better, but things are still not good enough.”

Minister for Youth Nikki Kaye is supporting the release of Inside Out by hosting more than 80+ guests from the queer and trans community, along with education and youth services at Parliament on Tuesday 13 October. Guests will be shown the first video episode of the resource and invited to participate in professional learning development sessions the following day.

Inside Out is supported by funding from the Ministry of Social Development. It encourages users to explore and challenge unhelpful social norms and is designed to foster critical thinking so that all Kiwis, especially young ones, can belong.

Inside Out was also produced in a partnership between Curative, RainbowYOUTH, and CORE Education. More than 100 people were involved in its creation over two years’ development, from secondary school students to the Human Rights Commission, Mental Health Foundation, and Ministry of Social Development through to organisations like the PPTA.

This resource presents people with powerful provocations to get discussions going, to help promote critical thinking, to build a sense of empathy with the stories that are shared, and to cultivate a sense of celebration around diversity.

As well as the Wellington launch, RainbowYOUTH are introducing the Inside Out in seven other regional centres; Whangarei, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, Palmerston North, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.

“I hope this resource is the beginning of the end of homophobia and transphobia because everyone should have a sense of belonging. We all belong,” Dr Fenaughty says.

Visit the Inside Out website here.

ENDS

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