Vancouver Foundation

Out in Schools started as a program to help students talk about bullying and stereotypes. Now it's educating the system By Lawrence KaroL p a g e 8 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l 2 0 1 7 Photo: Courtesy Out On Screen HOW WOULD YOUR STORY CHANGE THE WORLD? It's an intriguing question, particularly when posed to young people who are still grappling with a developing sense of self. Every presentation by Out in Schools (OiS) begins with this rhetorical query as a starting point for talking with students about the issues of homophobia, transphobia, and bullying. "It's our entry point for asking the young people where they normally see or hear stories," says Brandon Yan, 31, Education Director of Out On Screen. "From there we always go on to the topic of lack of diversity and representation. Even today, in mainstream media, we're still seeing a dearth of content focused on queer and trans lives." Yan, who was raised in Langley, says that he wasn't bullied much in high school but he was also very much School Pride in the closet – an experience he hopes to help today's youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two- spirit, queer and other gender expressions (LGBT2Q+) avoid. "I want to create change because I think of the time I spent worrying about what would happen if I came out," he says, "and all the time I wasn't fully, completely myself." Launched in 2004, OiS started as an outreach effort of Out On Screen (OOS) – a non-profit organization that also presents the Vancouver Queer Film Festival – whose mission is to illuminate, celebrate, and advance queer lives through film, education, and dialogue. To overcome any initial hesitation on the part of school districts, Yan and his colleagues worked closely with several supportive educators to bring the

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