We are focusing all efforts on SOGI 123.
SOGI 123 helps educators make schools inclusive and safe for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI).
SOGI 123 accelerates systemic change and grassroots action.
SOGI 123 IN YOUR PROVINCE MEANS…
Building bridges between provincial institutions and associations so that more effective, sustainable, and accelerated change can take place.
Creating regional SOGI educator networks through which educators learn from each other and lead change together.
Creating professional development and classroom resources with educators for educators that are ready to use, easy to access, and open to customization.
SOGI 123 is now in all 60 school districts of British Columbia and 6 school divisions in Alberta. ARC Foundation is seeking financial collaborators for expansion into additional provinces.
SOGI 123 was born from educator and student experiences.
For years we asked educators, what is needed to create SOGI-inclusive education? This is what they told us, and students’ stories confirmed all three.
1. POLICIES
Schools need policies that hold everyone accountable and protect students and teachers calling for justice.
2. INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
Schools need inclusive environments—filled with symbols, language, and opportunities that welcome students of all sexual orientations or gender identities.
3. TEACHING
Educators need customizable teaching resources for teaching students the value of diversity and enabling all students to see themselves in the world.
How ARC found its role
FROM INCUBATION TO LEADERSHIP
In the beginning, ARC Foundation stayed in the shadows of SOGI 123. Our intention was to incubate the initiative until it found its most suitable home.
The premise was to own SOGI 123 at the start to ensure EVERYONE owned it, to hold the intellectual property so that it could stay open to anyone’s free use and customization.The result was an unparalleled neutral space in which people collaborated in unprecedented ways.
And then it started. Key advisors and educators at all levels told us we could not step away, that the space we had created was now ours to keep open.
We listened and they were right. ARC Foundation is now using its unique skills and position to explicitly lead and grow SOGI 123 in scope, impact, and geographical reach, still humbly not as educators, but as enablers.
Why SOGI 123 is our only program
This will take all of us.
SOGI 123 is gaining the momentum of a movement, with increasingly diverse participation across a broadening geographical reach as it is shaped and evolved by the collective.
At ARC we believe that change will not come from multiple disparate programs. Rather it will come from this type of collective energy and action—by connecting diverse people with shared values and helping them work together.
No matter where you are
SOGI 123 resources are free to use and easily customizable.
Looking for resources?
There are tools, templates, videos, and professional development modules to download and share with educators in your school board. There are teaching resources that can be tailored to students’ needs. And there are resources for parents too.
In one year, over 40,000 people visited www.sogieducation.org. In 12 weeks, there were over 10,000 views of the SOGI 123 learning videos. So don’t be shy!
