A year ago we started as a group of 6 people around a table in an RE classroom one lunchtime. The meeting lasted no more than 15 minutes and no one there had any idea of what they were setting out on. Sadly, no one from that initial group is regularly involved - they have moved on from our school, chosen to help from outside or have been prevented from attending. There are no worries, there now exists are very committed and energetic group of young people and adults who really want to make a difference. That what we do is radical is a surprise to all of us, as all we want to do is ensure that school is fair for everyone.
Being fair is at the heart of the group - and the students really exercised their democratic muscles today when they adopted the new constitution, changed our name and elected new officers.
Having started life as the "Gay/Straight Alliance" students began to question if the title was as inclusive as we wanted our group to be. Also outside agencies and people the staff advisor met with also questioned the relevance of the name. For a while we became the "Diversity Club", then the name of "No Outsiders" was decided upon, where we wanted to establish a link between the project for primary school students and an action-based group for secondary students. What happened next I did not expect.
Parents and other students began to see the title "No Outsiders" as not a statement challenging the exclusion of the LGBT people in our school but as a territorial marker - they saw it as a "Keep Out" sign. Members of the group also shared this concern. So the suggestion was made that we become "There Are No Outsiders" to make a positive statement of what the group stands for. Thus we are now a group where "We believe there should be no outsiders at President Kennedy School".
