(Press Release) — On June 16, 60 Marianas High School staff and educators completed a professional development conducted by the Public School System’s mental health team. The training titled: Inclusion: How Allies Can Make A Difference For LGBTQIA+ Inclusion On Campus And In The Workplace focused on the exploration of the definition of diversity & inclusion; discussions of privilege, stereotypes, bias, prejudice, and discrimination; and learning opportunities of strategies to create braver, safer and more inclusive spaces.
Discussions included eye opening statistics pertaining to the CNMI youth according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted every two years by the Center of Disease Control and PSS.
LGBTQIA+ youth report higher incidences of mental health vulnerabilities, higher rates of bullying, assault, and dating violence, feeling unsafe at school, and missing school because of not feeling safe. One youth this past month shared, “We need to have a strong enough influence to change the minds of the people who have not accepted them as the ‘norm.’ We started by having Pride Month to give them the voice they need to be heard, but we need to get to a point where we don’t need just a month for them to stand proud and be themselves. We need to change the tides so that everyday is a day our LGBQTQIA+ community is accepted and loved just for being themselves.”
The PSS mental health team shared: “Throughout our lives, we’ve all had hard experiences. The labeling, the rejection, or judgment whether warranted or not, still hurts. Such is a common human experience and because of this, we think about the emotions that come up, it’s worth thinking beyond ourselves and considering the experiences of others. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. What might a world look like when people are intentional about empathy, particularly educators who are building the youth and the culture of tomorrow.”
Further discussions focused on inclusion. “Inclusion means choosing to create a space where all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can participate fully.”
Also shared was a quote by Verna Myer, who said, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
Staff were given safe space posters for classrooms and invited to attend the remaining Pride Month activities, celebrating this year’s theme “Change the Tide, Show Your Pride.”
