In celebrating Capital Pride, Youth Ottawa and the OCDSB wanted to share a video showcasing 2SLGTBQ student voices. The video is a reel of student films from the Rainbow Bridges Project. This was an experiential, for-youth-by-youth project where high school students involved with the school’s GSA (gay-straight alliance or gender and sexuality alliance) worked together to innovate new ways of creating safer schools.
The goal of this unique program is to welcome incoming grade 9 students who will be entering high school by sharing content and support from current senior level high school students. This youth mentorship program advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ students at all levels of the school experience - from the classroom into the staff room and into the community.
In spite of the challenges 2020 brought, our students continued to amaze us by shifting their projects into an online format. We ran numerous workshops about 2SLGBTQ+ equity and peer support to set the stage for the process of creating meaningful art to share with these incoming students. The result is a series of beautiful films wherein youth offer advice and encouragement to younger students as they prepare to navigate new educational spaces.