Parent and Carer Time from GYGL

PACT (Parent & Carer Time): 

Terrence Higgins Trust in Coventry are working together with local parents of LGB people to offer a service to parents or carers of gay’ lesbian and bisexual people. PACT (Parent & Carer Time) are parents based in Coventry and are aware that they had no one to talk to when their children came out and want to offer something to change that with support from THT’s gay men’s team to parents and carers across Coventry and Warwickshire. 

John Toman, of THT says: “We get calls from parents, often very surprised at their reactions to their son or daughter coming out. Sometimes the most open minded parent who has gay friends and colleagues feels all sorts of unexpected things and doesn’t want to burden their children or partner with their feelings. For these people and for couples together we are glad that other parents want to offer an ear at a time when it may feel that there’s no one around to talk to”. 

Initially there will be a phone service as well as opportunity to meet other parents. The existing counselling service will also work with any parents who feel they want to explore things beyond the calls and meetings offered by the parents group. 

For details and contacts please call the team on 024 7622 4090 or e-mail: mesmen@tht.org.uk 

http://www.gygl.co.uk/pact--for-parents.htm

Day of Silence (2) - Involving Students

This year being our 2nd Day of Silence means that we have to capitalise on students who like to do things just because it agitates the staff, engage students who are not directly involved but who would make excellent allies and use it all as an opportunity to expand membership amongst both staff and students.  It would be great if we could get some parents involved...

Day of Silence (1) - First Thoughts

There Are No Outsiders plans to take part in the Day of Silence on 25th April. Plans are underway to hold a morning breakfast for all participants and a "break-silence" after the day is over.

There are Year 11 students who are not involved with TANO in anyway whatsoever but they are keen to take part in a campaign and awareness raising.

Mission Statement

At our 2008 AGM we agreed a new mission statement and the bit I am proudest of is our statement, "we believe that no one should feel an outsider at President Kennedy School."  We also agreed on a series of posters to state clearly "Everybody is different.  Let's celebrate it!"

Milestones

Annual General Meetings are important markers for any group, and for the gay/straight alliance this was a particularly important one.  This marked our 1st anniversary as a group - a year of students and staff working together, a year of students meeting every week of term after school, a year of people hearing about our work and a year of change.

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".