Diversity Role Models is aiming to raise £100,000 to help combat bullying in schools
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY PEXELS/CANVA
Leading LGBTQIA+ anti-bullying charity Diversity Role Models has just launched an urgent fundraising campaign to raise £100,000.
The charity’s latest evaluation data revealed that the number of secondary students who believe an LGBTQIA+ person would feel comfortable coming out at their school has plummeted to just 18% this year. This is down by 8% from 2023/24.
In order to tackle this, the charity is calling on allies and the LGBTQIA+ community to help them tackle the crisis happening in schools right now for LGBTQIA+ students. Diversity Role Models’ work is especially needed at this moment when nearly half of secondary school students have reported that pupils who are gay – or perceived to be gay – are bullied in school.
Alex Feis-Bryce, CEO of Diversity Role Models, said: “If you, or a young person you know, has ever been bullied, you’ll know how devastating it can be, affecting education, mental health and future prospects. We are launching this appeal because we’re at a critical juncture. We have faced a significant loss of funding at a time when our life-changing work is more crucial than ever. The rise in homophobia, biphobia and transphobia is not just a headline; it is being felt in classrooms across the country, with devastating consequences for young people.”
Diversity Role Models are committed to making real change in the classroom. Using in-person and online workshops, the charity is helping to foster respect and inclusion in schools. In fact, 58% of secondary school students feel more confident to act when they see bullying after completing a Diversity Role Models workshop. Since the charity’s formation in 2011, it has worked with over 1,000 schools in the UK, speaking to over 275,000 young people.
Former DIVA Publisher and patron of Diversity Role Models, Linda Riley, commented on how vital this work is. “We need to protect young LGBTQIA+ people now more than ever. If they don’t feel safe in their classrooms, how are they supposed to learn? Diversity Role Models is a vital resource that we must protect in any way we can.”
For more information or to donate to the campaign, please visit: justgiving.com/campaign/drm-urgentappeal
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