The faculty, staff, and administrators at Thomas Metcalf School came together shortly before the start of the academic year to tackle an important question: How can they make their school a more inclusive place for their students? More than 50 of them joined a special workshop designed by the Center for Integrated Professional Development (formerly CTLT) to seek answers.
The need for action is critical in light of recent data. LGBTQ+ youth are significantly more likely than their peers to face bullying, mental health challenges, and homelessness—not to mention unique risk factors for suicide. The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health shows that 45% of those surveyed seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
David Giovagnoli, the Center’s coordinator for scholarly teaching and learning, developed the custom experience for Metcalf based on the Safe Zone Project’s open-source curriculum. The goal of Safe Zone is to educate faculty, staff, and graduate students on how to be effective LGBTQ+ allies. Giovagnoli offers similar workshops as part of the Center’s regular programming, which he discussed in this recent episode of the unit’s podcast, Let’s Talk Teaching.
Giovagnoli said that the custom workshop for the Metcalf faculty evolved over time.
“Dr. Jason Surian, Metcalf’s principal, attended one of the earliest iterations of the Center’s Safe Zone workshops,” Giovagnoli explained. “That led to an invitation to work with the school’s diversity committee. With their input, we were able to bring this experience to the whole of Metcalf’s faculty and staff in time for the beginning of the school year.”
Amber Thomas, graphic designer at the Center, created a custom rainbow badge incorporating Metcalf’s logo for teachers and staff to show their commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.
“What I hope this particular workshop can do is to help us get to the point where every single student feels seen, understood, and safe,” Surian explained. “Training like this is just the start of a much longer journey toward that goal. I’m looking forward to seeing what other partnerships we could have with the Center, going forward.”
The Center often partners with departments at Illinois State to create customized professional development experiences, or “workshops by request.” These are in addition to the regular events and consultations offered each semester. Departments can inquire about available topics or request a special workshop by emailing ProDev@IllinoisState.edu.
The next regular Safe Zone workshop, which is open to all Illinois State instructors, staff, and graduate students, is scheduled for the afternoon of October 21, 2022. You can learn more and register through the Center’s website.
The Trevor Project offers free, confidential, 24/7 support through text, chat, or by phone. Visit their website, call 1-866-488-7386, or text “TREVOR” to 1-202-304-1200.
