A Record 29 VT Schools Welcome Outright VT Anti-Bullying Program
10 Counties Statewide Receive Anti-Bullying Presentations and GSA Meetings

Today, Outright Vermont announced that it reached a record number of students and schools in 2009 totaling 2,747 students in twenty-two high schools, three middle schools, and four colleges, across ten counties. Work in these schools included anti-bullying presentations, youth speaker’s bureau panels and Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) planning meetings.

Outright’s anti-bullying presentations, Speakers Bureau panels and GSA Network of 21 schools is managed by Saben Littlefield, Outright’s Education and Statewide Field Manager. “Most of my job is actually listening to students,” stated Littlefield. He added, “Students get that it starts with them and that they have the power in their hallways. Everyday they tell me how they want to make their schools safer and my job is to help them do it for themselves.”

These numbers set a new record for Outright’s statewide outreach, youth attendance and total schools supported. Outright Executive Director Christopher Neff stated, “School principals, teachers and students in Vermont are welcoming an open dialogue on the causes and solutions to bullying. Every time we work with a school and its students we are reminded that this involves a community trust on all sides. We are honored to have had this trust and to reach a record number of students in 2009.”

Outright has also presented to fourteen youth centers, churches, and conferences. This year Outright became a member of the federal Stop Bullying Now campaign through the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Safe Schools Roundtable and performed a thorough audit of its anti-bullying curriculum to compare current programs to other national models.

Founded in 1989, Outright Vermont is the state’s LGBTQ queer youth center and statewide advocacy organization. The Mission of Outright is to build safe, healthy, and supportive environments for LGBTQ queer youth (ages 13-22). Outright’s organizing strategy is based on a youth empowerment, social change model that tells us that youth power is an essential element in the fight for equal rights. We describe youth empowerment in two parts – providing the safe space and resources so that youth can do the heavy lifting themselves and adjusting the fundamental power dynamics so that their hard work can achieves results.