ShoutOut in partnership with Dr Gavin Murphy from Trinity College Dublin, have been awarded a grant for an exciting new project. The project is entitled: Capacity Building for LGBTI+ Inclusion in Teacher & School Leaders’ Education. This grant came from the Department of Justice and Equality under the LGBTI+ Fund 2020.

The project will see the development and embedding of a professional education programme for two cohort of students: those in initial teacher training and those in the school leadership preparation programme.

Dr Murphy had this to say:

I am delighted to collaborate with ShoutOut on this project. Our aim is to design high-quality, developmental experiences for educators to empower them to make a positive difference in the lives of LGBTI+ school community members. Together, as teacher and school leader education providers, we are setting out to co-constructively design educative and inclusive approaches in teachers' and school leaders' education programmes. Informed by the most recent, international research, we will provide educators with a comprehensive understanding about LGBTI+ terminology; injustice/ inequity; and tools to enable educators to become more confident in being responsive to well-documented challenges connected to inclusivity and visibility LGBTI+ community members face in schools

ShoutOut has been delivering teacher training for several years. We work with current teachers within schools as well as student teachers carrying out their teaching qualification. We’re excited to LGBTQI+ education embedded into the training of both new teachers and those undergoing the leadership programme.

ShoutOut CEO, Bella FitzPatrick comments on the importance of the project:

LGBTQI+ people are a minority group who transcend many other social factors such as class, religion, and race. LGBTI+ youth have different experiences of familial and community acceptance but one common thread of life for young LGBTQI+ people is that they attend school. The experience of attending school for an LGBTQI+ young person can be either one of exclusion and bullying or it can be affirming and celebratory of their identities. We strive for the latter.

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