Adrienne Reitano , PhD is a Director of Strategic Planning in the Office of Evaluation , Research and Accountability in the School District of Philadelphia ( SDP ). She has over 10 years working for SDP to support planning , research and evaluation activities . She received an MS in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and completed her PhD in Urban Education from Temple University .
A Place for All of Us : Creating Spaces of Belonging for LGBTQ + and Gender Diverse Students
Environments that are not affirming to LGBTQ + and gender diverse youth have been proven to greatly impact their mental health , well-being , and connectedness . As school leaders and teachers , it is our job to make sure ALL of our students feel they belong and to create these spaces within our school environments . In this session , we will cover specific ways to create LGBTQ + affinity spaces , safe spaces for LGBTQ + students , and creation and implementation of school policies and procedures that ensure the safety and well-being of LGBTQ + students . Students spend the majority of their adolescent and young adult lives in school , why not make it a place that celebrates every part of who they are !
Objectives :
1 . Identify concrete ways to create and implement spaces within schools that foster belonging for LGBTQ + and gender diverse students .
2 . Reflect , collaborate , and plan actions to celebrate LGBTQ + and gender diverse students rather than just tolerating them .
Intended Audience : PK-12 and higher education faculty , administrators , and support staff Emphasis : Institutional and cocurricular strategies for creating belonging Presenter :
SJ Janjua ( they / them ) is the founder and consultant of Empowered for Equity Consulting , where they use their passion and expertise in diversity , equity , inclusion , and belonging to help equip others with the tools to create inclusive spaces in schools and workplaces . SJ is a proud queer / transgender / non-binary / biracial person who uses their lived experience to guide their consulting work . They spent 5 years teaching high school level English in the US and abroad at the start of their career , and eventually left the classroom in pursuit of a master ’ s degree . They obtained their degree in International Education and served as a classroom evaluator , curriculum developer , and a teacher trainer in the years following . During their work at a non-profit afterschool program , they began their formalized Diversity , Equity , Inclusion , and Belonging work in the education space . They specialize in providing workshops , trainings , and strategic planning support to schools and organizations on creating LGBTQ + inclusion , creating and fostering spaces for belonging , integrating restorative practices , and empowering folks to go beyond performative allyship .