Youth Outreach Initiatives at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
Abstract
Founded in 1973, the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives has grown to become the secondlargest LGBT repository in the world. The organization recently moved to a spacious new facility in the heart of Toronto’s gay village, and this has occasioned a new emphasis on public outreach and programming. Concomitantly, the publication of the Government of Ontario’s Safe Schools Report has prompted many of the province’s public schools to develop anti-homophobia educational programs. Given that many teachers may not be familiar or comfortable with LGBT issues, the CLGA is well-positioned to become a valuable educational resource. The CLGA’s Community Engagement Committee has taken on the task of creating and delivering presentations about LGBT history in Canada. While these presentations have been quite successful, a semi-permanent exhibition housed at the CLGA’s new location may prove to be a more efficient alternative.
RÉSUMÉ
Fondées en 1973, les Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) ont continué de grandir pour devenir le deuxième plus grand dépôt d’archives lesbien, gai, bisexuel et transgenre (LGBT) au monde. L’organisation est déménagée récemment dans un nouvel immeuble au coeur du village gai de Toronto et cet événement a occasionné un accent plus grand sur le rayonnement de l’institution et la programmation publique. En même temps, la parution du rapport du gouvernement de l’Ontario sur les écoles sécuritaires a mené plusieurs écoles publiques à développer des programmes d’éducation pour contrer l’homophobie. Puisque plusieurs enseignants ne sont pas au courant des questions LGBT, ou même à l’aise d’en parler, les CLGA sont bien placées pour devenir une ressource éducative importante. Le comité d’engagement communautaire des CLGA s’est donné la tâche de créer et de donner des communications au sujet de l’histoire LGBT au Canada. Bien que ces communications aient connu beaucoup de succès, le lancement d’une exposition semi-permanente présentée dans les locaux du nouvel immeuble des CLGA pourrait s’avérer une alternative encore plus efficace.
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