August talks about the importance of inclusive curriculum and safe spaces in the classroom. Teachers and youth workers need to provide room for their students/youth to talk about what is actually important and relevant to them, especially parts of themselves that may not align with SCWAAMP. It is also important, I think, for us to stay educated and informed about social issues, if not visibly and actively fighting for justice, like my Promising Practices presenter who has one of his protest signs in the classroom. This isn't about being able to detach ourselves from the problem, I hope we have all learned that that's not how it works, and that we benefit from privilege whether we think it's fair or not. It's about showing that we mean it when we call our spaces "safe," not just putting a sticker on the wall. It is an entirely different experience to be in the class of a person who never mentions LGBTQ issues, but still has the sticker and is technically "someone you can talk to," than to be in the class of a teacher or professor who talks knowledgeably and currently about social justice. This class was the latter, and I hope to provide spaces that feel this genuinely safe in the future.
For every day:
http://www.glsen.org/educate/resources/curriculum
http://weneeddiversebooks.org/where-to-find-diverse-books/
For crises prevention:
http://www.thetrevorproject.org/section/education-training-for-adults
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