Please join the Albany elementary school community in a workshop on combating bias and promoting acceptance in our schools with our speaker, Tarah Fleming.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, teasing and bullying is common and often starts in elementary school. Discomfort with different racial, cultural and gender identities can lead children into teasing and discriminatory behavior. To combat racism, homophobia and other types of bias, Our Family Coalition has developed an educator and parent training that includes such topics as racial and ethnic identity development, family diversity, gender stereotyping, and name calling/bullying. The training gives caregivers language to use when talking about LGBT people, communities of color, class differences and other social justice issues that children are learning daily to negotiate. The workshop offers opportunities for adults to reflect on their own stereotypes, and a safe space to talk about the spectrum of identities forming in our children and those around them. OFC uses the Welcoming Schools Guide as a tool to support teachers and families, which includes lesson plans, book lists and answers to challenging questions. The workshop provides practical ways to create more welcoming and respectful environments for all children. www.ourfamily.org