SARAVYC collaborated with Out in Schools, the school-based program operating in British Columbia under the affiliated non-profit organization Out on Screen. Out in Schools is an educational program that uses films and facilitated discussions to teach students and educators about gender, sexuality, and LGBT2Q+ experiences. By addressing issues of homophobia and transphobia, Out in Schools aims to reduce bullying and create more inclusive school environments across British Columbia. While Out in Schools has given hundreds of presentations across 49 of BC’s 60 school districts, limited data existed on the effectiveness of their presentations on reaching their intended goals of awareness and inclusion towards the LGBT2Q+ school communities.
The intention of this research project was to perform a quantitative evaluation of the Out in Schools presentations, via mapping the data onto the BC Adolescent Health Survey. We assessed whether a school hosting an Out in Schools presentation was associated with improved outcomes for the students. We specifically looked at the effects of Out in Schools on bullying (verbal and relational), homophobic discrimination, suicidality, and school connectedness among students.
Read our infographic summarizing our findings.
Read our paper detailing our evaluation.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc
Co-Investigators: B. Austin, Dr. Dominic Beaulieu-Prevost, Dr. Line Chamberland, D. DePape, Dr. Marla Eisenberg, Dr. Gilbert Emond, Dr. Jacqueline Gahagan, Dr. Andre Grace, Dr. Sheila Marshall, Warren O’Briain, Ciro Panessa, Dr. Tracey Peter, Dr. Carolyn Porta, Dr. Hilario Rose, Dr. Stephen Russell, Annie Smith, Stephen Smith, Dr. Catherine Taylor, Dr. Robb Travers, Dr. Kenneth Tupper, and Dr. Kris Wells
Funding by CIHR (Open Operating Grants) under the grant “Reducing stigma, promoting resilience: Population health interventions for LGBTQ youth”, 2012-2017
