New Zealand (Commonwealth)_Schools’ Pride Week Aotearoa is a nationwide rainbow pride campaign in schools that will take place from June 12 to 16, 2023, and also a week of events and activities designed to help rainbow young people feel more at home in their schools and communities. This year’s campaign, now in its fourth year, is bigger than ever, with a record number of schools from around Aotearoa taking part. Over 300 schools and educational institutes, including more than 60% of secondary schools, will participate in the week’s activities amazingly.
Despite the surge in conservative rhetoric and cultural wars seen elsewhere, New Zealand schools have repeatedly demonstrated the significance of recognizing, supporting, and celebrating Aotearoa’s unique community of rainbow young people. According to the most recent Identify survey, New Zealand’s largest research of rainbow young people’s experiences, over one-third (32%) of pupils asked stated they had learned positive or beneficial things about rainbow people, histories, or challenges at school. Schools’ Pride Week acts as a reminder for schools to ensure that Aotearoa’s diverse society is reflected and embraced.
As in past years, school events for Schools’ Pride Week Aotearoa will frequently be conducted by students, with rainbow diversity groups demonstrating their leadership skills in order to push for safer, more inclusive school environments. According to students who participated in the Identify poll, “You can’t go a day at my school without someone using the term ‘gay’ incorrectly, or talking about how something LGBTQ-related is stupid or weird.” People do not appreciate the significance of Rainbow spaces and groups,” and that “there is a lot of homophobia and transphobia in my school.” “I get inappropriate questions about my sexuality and gender from peers,” she says, highlighting some of the concerns rainbow pupils have about how they are treated at school. With the majority of students (86%) stating that their school has a rainbow group/queer-straight alliance, Schools’ Pride Week is the ideal time for students to celebrate diversity and advocate for the changes they want to see.
“It’s always exciting to see schools use the Pride Week campaign to recognize and celebrate their rainbow staff and students,” says Tabby Besley.
“We hear from many students about how important events like Pride Week are to them, and how a week like this can make such a difference to their well-being and sense of belonging at school, so we’re pleased to see that the campaign continues to grow and that schools are actively promoting values of diversity and empathy,” says the campaign’s founder, Jeremy Smith.
Schools’ Pride Week Aotearoa aims to celebrate rainbow staff and students in school communities while also fostering a sense of belonging. Support schools in organizing events and pride festivals in their schools by sharing resources and information. Create opportunities for schools to incorporate rainbow concerns into their curriculum and to normalize rainbow identities across the board.
Out on the Shelves, a chance for school and community libraries to establish and promote their rainbow collections, celebrate rainbow stories, and help connect rainbow young people with these stories and with each other, coincides with Schools Pride Week Aotearoa.
