LGBT YOUTH PROJECTSUPPORTED BY PRIDE Three years ago Doncaster Pride’s committee asked young people what their experiences of homophobia and bullying were in school. Shocked by some of the incidents they heard, the committee felt an urgency to tackle and improve the inclusivity and treatment of young LGBT people. Working alongside the Council, Pride finally created a proposal that would see Doncaster’s first and long-awaited LGBT Project Worker. Pride has since obtained funding from Big Lottery to appoint Andy Roe to tackle these concerns and support young people from across the borough. Working closely with teachers and pupils including over 750 students and 80 teachers, Andy provides various levels of training in both primary and secondary education. The project’s first conference, ‘Educate with Pride’, was held in June at Doncaster Dome and deemed a tremendous success, backed by Mayor Ros Jones and other dignitaries from across the country. After six months of hard work, Doncaster has now been ranked 19th out of 45 authorities actively tackling homophobia as recorded by Stonewall, a national charity aimed at putting a stop to homophobic bullying. The projects latest endeavor is to set up a multi-agency team to support schools to develop guidance for transgender students in the area. The LGBT Youth Group is now up and running in partnership with Doncaster Integrated Family Support Services and Doncaster’s Culture and Leisure Trust. Pride encourages any young people experiencing homophobic bully to get in touch - 01302 874562. For more information on our work with professionals working with LGBT Young People, please contact education@doncasterpride.co.uk.
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