ShoutOut is a registered charity committed to improving life for LGBTQ+ people by sharing personal stories and running educational programmes. We harness the power of education to combat anti-LGBTQ+ bullying and violence, and we firmly believe in the power of personal storytelling to spark compassion and build allyship.

Since 2012 we've been delivering workshops in secondary schools across the island of Ireland which tackle LGBTQ+ bullying, and we've completed over 2,250 student workshops. That means we’ve spoken directly to over 67,500 students!

We use our on-the-ground experience of speaking with young people to inform all of our training modules. We deliver educational workshops for teachers, parents & guardians, social workers, youth workers, as well as workplaces.

ShoutOut’s work is needed now more than ever!

Despite positive social change since we began our work in 2012, young people are still facing homophobic and transphobic violence, bullying and isolation.

ShoutOut’s educational workshops in schools and youth groups directly tackle harmful attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community and promote allyship, empowering students to act as LGBTQ+ advocates in their communities.

The 2022 School Climate Survey (BelongTo and Teacher’s College, Columbia University) which reports on the reality of life at school for LGBTQ+ students across Ireland found:

  • 76%

       LGBTQ+ students feel unsafe at school

  • 1 in 3

       LGBTQ+ students have skipped school to avoid negative treatment due to being LGBTQ+

  • 69%

       LGBTQ+ students heard homophobic remarks from other students

  •    LGBTQ+ students and 5x more likely to suffer physical harassment

 

LGBTQ+ people still face considerable levels of stigmatisation, discrimination and harassment in their day-to-lives, including in schools. All of the research highlights the negative implications that homophobic and transphobic bullying has for the immediate and longer term emotional well-being of young people and their ability to cope and to achieve their full potential. (BelongTo 2022, LGBTIreland Report 2016, BelongTo 2010, Headstrong 2012, Norman 2010, Maycock 2009)

 

WHAT IS HOMOPHOBIC AND TRANSPHOBIC BULLYING?

Bullying is defined by the Department of Education as “repeated aggression, verbal, psychological or physical, conducted by an individual or a group against others”.

It has been shown that LGBTQ+ young people, or those who are perceived as being LGBTQ+ are at greater risk of bullying than their cisgender straight counterparts.