| Demystifying homosexuality begins in school |
| |
|
Welcome to the English section of our website. GRIS-Montréal now offers its workshops in English. The following is a summary of the information found on the French site. We invite our visitors to consult the French site for more complete information about GRIS-Montréal. Do enjoy surfing our website.
1- What is GRIS-Montreal?
GRIS-Montreal (Groupe de Recherche et d’Intervention Sociale) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure a better awareness of the homosexual reality and to make it easier for gays, lesbians and bisexuals to integrate into society. As is the case for the fight against racism, the integration of any minority can only be achieved by trying to eliminate ignorance and prejudice. Since the values of our youths are being shaped in school and since schools are where knowledge takes precedence over ignorance, GRIS-Montreal focuses most of its actions in the school system, providing demystification of homosexuality workshops to establishments in the Greater Montreal Area.
2- GRIS-Montreal’s Objectives
- a) Demystify homosexuality within society in general
- b) Do research in connection with the demystification activities
- c) Refer those who express a need for it to other resources in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community
Through our workshops, we also strive to improve the self esteem of youths going through their affirmation process (coming out) as well as those questioning their sexual orientation. We also encourage a positive and more open attitude of those who surround them.
Our workshops are held mainly in high schools, CEGEPs and youth centres in the Greater Montreal area. These workshops are done using the testimonial approach by gay, lesbian and bisexual volunteers specially trained to answer questions from the youth. Volunteers work in pairs, most often a man and a woman, which allows youths to see there is more than one homosexual reality. After a general presentation, both volunteers briefly introduce themselves and open the floor to questions from the class. Volunteers welcome any and all questions to which they will answer using their own personal experiences rather than theories and statistics. This approach allows kids to put a face on a reality that sometimes scares or intimidates them and to clear up misconceptions they may have had.
Before submitting a request for a workshop
During your initial contact with GRIS to organize a workshop, GRIS’ staff will ensure that you become familiar with the various organizational and logistics aspects of the activity. We will explain: - -the methodology of our workshops - -the type of questions asked by students and the kind of answers given by volunteers - -the rigorous training process for the volunteers which allows them to answer even the most intimidating of questions - -the use of the assessment questionnaire that the teacher fills out after the workshop.
Examples of MFAQ (Most Frequently Asked Questions):
- How did you realize you were gay? Bisexual? -
- How did your parents react?
- Did you lose any friends when they found out you were gay?
- Why is there a Pride Parade? A gay Village?
- Why have gay sporting events?
- Are you faithful?
Submitting your Request
To make a request for a workshop, you must fill out the Online Workshop Request and return it to GRIS-Montreal either by fax, mail or e-mail.
Research Questionnaires
Our activities include a three-part Research Questionnaire to be filled out by students participating in the workshops. Details of this questionnaire and its use can be found in the Research section below. Questionnaires must be stapled and given to the students BEFORE the volunteers enter the classroom. These questionnaires are anonymous and remain with the students throughout the workshop. Allow 5 minutes at the end of the activity for students to fill out the second part of the questionnaire, along with the profile section. The forms are collected by the volunteers before leaving and are compiled by GRIS for statistics and analysis purposes. For every workshop, we also ask that the teacher fill out the Online Workshop Assessment Questionnaire which can be returned to GRIS by fax or by mail.
As stated above, the three-part questionnaire filled out by students at each workshop allows us to research the situation in schools and the impact our workshops have on the youths. The first part has to be filled out before the volunteers come in. It is used to gauge the students’ comfort level towards homosexuality and to identify their perceptions. At the end of the workshop, the second part of the questionnaire, which is identical to the first part, is filled out by the students and allows us to see the impact, if any, of the workshop. The third part establishes the profile of the students including age, sex, religion etc. This anonymous portrait of each student allows us to compile data and statistics.
6- The GRIS-Simple Plan Foundation Award
WHAT IS IT AND WHY WAS IT CREATED?
This award for fighting homophobia in the school environment was created by GRIS-Montréal to reward novel initiatives taken by students or school personnel to demystify homosexuality and / or to fight homophobia in elementary or high schools located in the area covered by the organization. GRIS volunteers, through workshops in schools and requests for information, noticed that some students and institutions were putting together brilliant and noteworthy projects or activities that met our objectives head-on. We decided it would be important to acknowledge these initiatives and hopefully encourage other students or individuals working in the school environment to take a stand and make their schools more open to diversity and void of homophobia.
WHAT IS THERE TO BE WON?
Thanks to our sponsors, a $500 bursary will be given to the winning school. In order to respect the philosophy behind this prize, the bursary will have to be used to finance future activities aimed at fighting all forms of discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.). Each participant of the winning project will also receive a certificate and the school where the initiative originated will receive a commemorative plaque
WHO AWARDS THE PRIZE?
The winner of the award is chosen by a committee made up of member of GRIS-Montréal’s board of administrators, organization spokespeople and representatives from our sponsor. Their decision is final and cannot be appealed.
EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED:
- Petition organized by young people at their school and by which any person who signed undertook to stop making any homophobic comments - A student services employee put up a large billboard covered with pictures of gays and lesbians who, by their work, their lives or their activities, are admired and can be an inspiration to all - -A young person took all the required steps so that the “firewall” of the school’s computer systems would no longer block access to legitimate websites dealing with homosexuality
Come up with a project, make it happen and tell us about it Win a prize for your school Watch your efforts be rewarded Inspire others
RULES AND REGULATIONS
The contest is opened to all projects whose goal is to demystify homosexuality or to fight homophobia in an elementary or high school located in the area covered by GRIS-Montréal. The project can be the initiative of one or more students, one or more school employees or a combination of students and school staffers.
The project can be nominated by the person(s) who carried it out, by anyone in the school where it was done, or by a person outside the school who became aware of the project. In the last two instances, we recommend that the people who made the project happen be involved in the write-up of the Nomination File
The deadline to submit a project is June 30.
The project must have been carried out during the current school year, except for those initiatives that are permanent in character.
Nominations may be sent to GRIS by mail, P.O. Box 476, Station “C”, Montréal (Québec) H2L 4K4 or by email at info@gris.ca Projects will be judged on innovation, adaptability to other schools and impact on their environment.
The prize will be awarded in September during the press conference held to launch GRIS-Montreal’s annual fundraising campaign. It is wished that the student(s) who took part in the project be present to receive the prize and their certificates. Expenses incurred by the students and one accompanying adult shall be reimbursed by GRIS-Montréal. The parents of these young people are invited to the ceremony but their expenses will not be reimbursed. GRIS-Montréal will be able to make public the following information with respect to the nomination file: the school’s name, a description of the project, all information that would NOT allow for the identification of the individuals in the nomination documents and the names and pictures of adults taken during the award ceremony. For all other information (i.e. names and photographs of the students who have carried out the project or those who participated in it, pictures of the ceremony which would allow for the identification of minors, etc.) GRIS-Montréal undertakes to abide by the wish of the person in charge of the minors and parental authorizations will be required for the broadcast of information which would allow for the identification of said minors. The jury reserves the right to award a special prize, in the shape and form that it deems appropriate to a young person(s) who achieves a project that stands out from other projects either by its quality, its scale or originality.
Your donation to GRIS-Montreal can make a difference in a young person’s life. It will help some youths find their place in the world and encourage a respect for diversity in our society. For every donation received, GRIS-Montreal will issue a receipt for tax purposes. The list of donors is NEVER given to any other organization(s). Charitable Number: 89119 1629 RR0001.
To make a donation:
- You can fill out the Donation Form and return it with a cheque made out to GRIS-Montreal to the following address: P.O. Box 476 Station “C” Montréal (Québec) H2L 4K4
- You can also donate by credit card through PAYPAL Should you experience difficulty in using PAYPAL, please call GRIS-Montreal offices between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and our staff will gladly help you.
The organization is run by a Board of directors duly elected as per the organization’s by-laws. The Board has created six committees to help with the workload. GRIS has a staff of three full-time employees, including the Executive-Director. Each year, new members join GRIS-Montreal. There are currently about 220 volunteers in the organization, 130 of whom go into schools for the demystification workshops.
GRIS-Montreal has developed a very good relationship with mainstream media and enjoys significant coverage of its various public events. Publications in the gay community have also offered the non-profit organization a constant visibility. Through contacts and connections, GRIS-Montreal has been able to create a few awareness campaigns to reach a wider audience. We invite you to view our most Annual report and Press releases
10- Workshops and Numbers
GRIS-Montreal volunteers visited 147 institutions and spoke to over 20,000 youths in the 2008-2009 school year alone. Since it’s creation in 1994, GRIS-Montreal has held over 5,500 workshops with more than 130,000 people attending.
Check the counter on the right-hand side of the page to see how many workshops our volunteers have given so far this year!
11- Becoming a GRIS volunteer
Becoming a member is quite easy. All one needs is to wish to take part in one of many activities organized by GRIS-Montreal, to abide by the organization’s code of ethics (available in French only) and to pay the symbolic annual fee ($5). Please note that only openly gay or bisexual people can take part in the training courses necessary to give workshops in schools. Compiling data and organizing social or fundraising activities are but a few of the activities in which all volunteers can be involved. As GRIS-Montreal is a francophone organization, a certain level of French is required to be able to partake in its activities and fluency in French is required to take the training and to become a volunteer in the schools.
12- Teaching Guide: “Démystifier l’homosexualité, ça commence à l’école”
Written by Irène Demczuk, the pedagogical guide “Démystifier l’homosexualité, ça commence à l’école” (available in French only) was created to help educators convey objective knowledge pertaining to homosexuality and to counter the devastating effects of homophobia experienced by youths in general and boys especially. In addition to offering an inventory of community resources, websites, videos, books and films which deal with homosexuality, this teaching guide gives educators priceless information which will give them a greater ease when talking about homosexuality. The guide contains a series of activities for both the elementary and high school levels. These activities will allow educators to make events, such as Valentine’s Day for example, more inclusive. It also has exercises to gauge the students’ reactions and attitudes to adopt should they find out that their best friend is gay, that a classmate was rejected because it is said of him or her that he is gay or that she is a lesbian, and provide insight into attitudes to adopt in various situations, such as two boys wishing to attend Graduation together as a couple.
The Guide is available in North America for $15 (tax and shipping included). Cost for European orders is set at €19. Click here for an overview of the Table of Contents (in French only)
To order, you may:
Fill out and submit the Order Form or print and return it, along with a cheque or money order to:
GRIS-Montreal
P.O. Box 476 Station “C”
Montréal (Québec)
H2L 4K4
- AARON maison funéraire et de commémoration;
- Authentic Vins et Spiritueux;
- Body Spa;
- CGI;
- Fleuriste La Prairie;
- Fugues;
- Grand-papa Gâteau,
- traiteur;
- Halte-ami;
- La Capitale, groupe financier;
- L’Oréal;
- Magma design;
- Les Promotions Virage;
- Restaurant L’Angéluc ;
- SEPB-Québec,
- Vins Philippe Dandurand.
GRIS-Montréal
P.O. Box 476, Station “C”
204-2075
Plessis Montréal (Québec)
H2L 4K4
Tel.: (514) 590-0016
Fax.: (514) 590-0764
Email: info@gris.ca
View Larger Map
|
