Stop Child Abuse and Bullying Project

Dear supporters,

On February 14th we hosted a special Valentine's Day diversity workshop, entitled “Love is love”, which was attended by a group of 10 elementary school students and their parents.

The goal was to show how the LGBTQIA+ community should not be discriminated against for loving a certain individual based on their sexual orientation or gender. To make the concept easier to understand, I began by introducing the many pride flags, who they represented within the community, and the meaning of the colours. It was great to see the children confidently guessing and asking for clarity as to some of the meanings. 

To continue with engagement, we moved onto an activity where children created their own "original flag" designs, showing anything they loved - ranging from colours and food to characters and hobbies. Once completed, the children presented their own original flag designs to each other.

Following on from this, we were then able to discuss how they would feel if they were to see their original flag in their local communities. All of them instantly said they would feel comfort and acceptance, which I was able to easily tie into the concept of pride flags representing a group of people, who they identify as, and who they love. This conversation really solidified their understanding that representation matters, even in the simplest form of having a pride flag, to particular LGBTQIA+ groups.

It was also great to see parents enjoying the topics and stating how their children had already expressed curiosity about the LGBTQIA+ community, and the workshop served as a great introduction to facilitate further conversations at home. 

We hope to host more of these themed workshops soon!