A local university will host its first-ever conference on creating safe learning environments for LGBT students. Arcadia University will stage “Creating Safe and Welcoming Schools” March 22 at its Glenside campus. The conference will cater to educators, members of high school gay-straight alliances and families raising LGBT children. Conference chair and associate professor Dr. Graciela Slesaransky-Poe said plans for the conference started last year after she noticed the lack of directed discussion among stakeholders on ways to ensure safety in schools for LGBT students. “I realized that there was no place where educators, families and youth could get together to talk about these issues. I want us to learn with each other and from each other,” she said. Arcadia, which last year played host to Philadelphia Family Pride’s “Family Matters” conference, and its School of Education are the main sponsors of the event, but Slesaransky-Poe noted it has received support from the Human Rights Campaign, Bryson Institute, The Attic Youth Center, Mazzoni Center and Abington Friends School. Those four supporters will take part in the conference panels, which will explore how to create safe spaces from the points of view of youth, LGBT faculty, parents and service providers. Slesaransky-Poe, who has been a professor of special education for years and has worked with families who raise children with disabilities, has a personal connection to the LGBT community. “I have a son who is gender nonconforming,” she said. “Before he started school, I wanted him to feel safe and make sure he wasn’t teased, so I started discussions with the school. Since then, I have built a collaborative relationship with the school.” Representatives from her son’s school will be present at the conference, as will youth from The Attic and LGBT faculty from Abington. “These individuals, specifically the youth from Bryson, have incredibly touching stories to share,” she said. The conference is not only open to Arcadia students and staff but also to the public. Fees range from $30 for family members, allies and professionals and non-Arcadia students to $15 for high-school students and $50 for walk-ins. The conference is free to members of the Arcadia community. ACT 48 credits are also available. Slesaransky-Poe said she hopes the conference will become an annual event to fuel discussion on LGBT youth issues at Arcadia and in the wider community. “I really hope that this will start a process that continues over time where educators and families and youth learn from each other and with each other on how to create safe and welcoming schools where every student can be who they truly are.” For more information on the conference or to register, visit www.arcadia.edu/creating-safe-and-welcoming-schools-conference.
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