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The Youth Pride Association (YPA), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is hosting the inaugural Acceptance Week program at Royal High School in Simi Valley from February 28th to March 4th. The Acceptance Week program works to model a safe and affirming campus climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) students.
During the course of the week, the student-run Pride Club and leadership class at Royal High School will be hosting campuswide events themed around acceptance, inclusion, and reflection. In addition to Pride Club, Royal offers several other clubs that also promote these same ideals: Change4Women, Wellness Club, and Kindness Club
“I am so proud of the students who participate in these clubs,” said Jennifer Letus, Advisor for the RHS Pride Club. “Clubs like these offer a safe space where all of our students are welcome and accepted for who they are. We hope that Acceptance Week provides the opportunity for that message to reverberate throughout the entire campus.”
As part of the program, YPA will provide teachers a Pride flag to hang in their classroom during the week, as well as a sticker to mark their classrooms as an LGBTQ safe space. Additionally, the Youth Pride Association is providing an educational speaker as part of Royal High School’s civic engagement speaker program. The speaker will give a speech at the end of the week, reflecting on the events of the week, as well as presenting basic information on sexuality and gender identity, and further highlighting the issues LGBTQ students are facing on campus.
“From hearing homophobic and transphobic slurs in the classroom to increased rates of victimization from violence and assault in schools, LGBTQ students are faced with substantial and alarming adversity while at school. These negative experiences are all but commonplace for LGBTQ students across the country,” said Cameron Bartosiewicz, President at Youth Pride Association. “Through this program, Royal High School is taking a major stride towards a more accepting and supportive environment for all students on campus.”
About Youth Pride Association
The Youth Pride Association (YPA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to promote and foster the acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people in educational institutions. YPA works to address the alarming and substantial adversities LGBTQ youth face in schools through education, support, and advocacy.
