This is a brief update of what's going on with the Student Tool Kit.
It was great to meet some of you at the Schools OUT conference, to share the new Student Tool Kit with you and get your feedback. Thank you so much for the support that so many of you have already expressed for the Tool Kit. We already have several excellent ideas for how it can be improved and we are very excited about the directions in which we may be taking it in the near future.
Last week, Sue Sanders and Annie Beaumont of Schools OUT attended a meeting with four influential members
of the DCSF – from School Resources, Diversity and
Equality, and Curriculum and Pupil Wellbeing. During this meeting
we discussed – among other things - the Student Tool Kit, especially the
challenges that young people are facing, in attempting to access this resource
and other appropriate LGBT-related information on school/library computers, and
will be meeting with them again after Easter to receive their response to the
notes we provided for them. I believe more info on this meeting is available here on the blog.
Additionally, we are in touch with a contact working at the DCSF on the Byron Review into Children and New Technology (www.dfes.gov.uk/byronreview). We are in discussion about the relevant people to be in touch with - and the most effective ways - to improve young people’s access to online LGBT resources.
Schools OUT will soon hold its next steering committee
meeting, which will include a planning meeting of the Student Tool Kit group.
We have in mind the generous offers of support that some of you made to us at the
conference and will definitely be taking these in to account in planning the
next steps in taking the Student Tool Kit forward.
The Student Tool Kit group will strongly advocate for a major Schools OUT campaign this year to focus on promoting access to appropriate online content and reclaiming the words lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans.
If you have had a chance to check out the Student Tool
Kit online (at www.schools-out.org.uk)
or have shared the Tool Kit with teaching staff or young people, further
feedback of any nature is welcomed. Similarly, if you wish to make further
suggestions of directions in which we could take the Student Tool Kit,
organisations that we could work in partnership with, or for any other
discussion, don’t hesitate to contact us by email of through the blog.
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