Égale Canada
launches student survey
(The
following article is from
the January 16-31,
2008
issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles
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On
December 10, Égale Canada launched
a student survey to look at homophobia and transphobia in Canadian
schools. The survey targets students in grades 8 through 12 and aims to
document the realities of life at school for straight, lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, Two Spirit, intersex, queer, and questioning
(LGBTTIQ) students, who are more likely than their peers to be
threatened with weapons, to drop out of school because of harassment,
or to be forced to leave home because of conflicts with parents.
Information from the survey, the first of its kind in Canada, will
provide educators and policy makers with information to help make
schools safer and more respectful places.
Égale
is working with School
Boards, Gay Straight Alliances, agencies and service providers to
expand access by youth across the country to the survey, which is
available online at http://www.climatesurvey.ca.
British
Columbia educator and
Chair of Égale
Canada's Education Committee, Noble Kelly, explains that
the survey "will give us the statistics necessary to help develop the
kinds of supports kids need while coming to terms with who they are."
The survey
asks questions about
sexual orientation and gender identity, language at school, bullying,
the curriculum and teacher and staff support. Straight students are
asked about their openness to queer students.
"Homophobia
and transphobia are
very major problems in schools but we don't see any real action," said Égale
Canada executive director Helen Kennedy at the survey launch on
Dec 10. "Our children are being bullied in the hallways, our children
are being bullied in the playground, our children are being bullied on
the internet."
Three school
boards have agreed
to work with Égale on
the survey: Victoria, BC; Thunder Bay, Ontario;
and one in Nova Scotia. In those schools, the survey will be addressed
in some classes. Participation is voluntary and results will go
directly and anonymously to Égale.
Students in other school districts
can fill out the survey online.
The Toronto
District School
Board (TDSB) has released the results of a survey showing that eight
percent of its students identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, not sure,
questioning or "other" - which includes trans, queer and two-spirited.
But the TDSB survey, although theoretically anonymous, required
students to sign their student numbers, compromising voluntary
participation.
Found
at:
http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/Egale_Canada_launches_student_survey.html