Taking LGBT Equality Further and Higher. A toolkit for college and universities LGBT societies

Transcription

1 Taking LGBT Equality Further and Higher A toolkit for college and universities LGBT societies

2 1 Hello! This toolkit was designed to cover all aspects of setting up, developing and maintaining a university or college lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) society. It aims to cover everything from the initial steps for getting a society off the ground to developing well established societies further. The toolkit is for students who want to start an LGBT society, who have recently joined an LGBT society and want to learn more, and for more experienced members who are looking to develop their society further. The resource was written by a group of university and college students from all over Scotland with the support of LGBT Youth Scotland and National Union of Students Scotland (NUS Scotland). All members participated by contributing their own experiences and opinions in order to create a practical and useful guide to assist you in developing your LGBT society regardless of what stage it is at. We hope you find this toolkit useful and that you will benefit from the advice and information it contains. It won t provide all the answers to every issue your society faces, but aims to give an introduction to all the main topics involved in running an LGBT society, give you some ideas to discuss, and to point you in the direction of further resources and information. Good luck with all your work and thanks for reading! LGBT Youth Scotland & NUS Scotland The cards in this toolkit contain information on a whole host of topics. They begin with the basics, such as recruiting members, finding a venue and holding your first society meeting, and then move on to topics such as running campaigns, fundraising and working in partnership. The resource has been designed as a selection of information cards. This means each society can select the cards which are most relevant or useful to them and tailor the resource to suit their society s needs.

3 2 LGBT Youth Scotland LGBT Youth Scotland is a national youth organisation working towards the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people in the life of Scotland. We provide a range of services and opportunities for young people, families and professionals. LGBT Youth Scotland runs youth groups, provides online information and advice, provides one to one support, delivers training, carries out schools work, and offers volunteering and participation opportunities for adults and young people. To find out more, contact us: Website: info@lgbtyouth.org.uk Text: Green Light LGBT Youth Scotland s Green Light Project is a national programme to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people to come out. Funded by the Big Lottery, the programme involves working with young people from across Scotland on a range of projects that challenge stigma, provide information, and offer advice around coming out. By drawing on personal experiences, the project s participants are developing a range of resources to increase people s understanding of the many issues faced by LGBT young people, including peer education workshops, coming out guides, and this resource, a national university and college LGBT society toolkit. For more information visit: NUS Scotland NUS Scotland exists to promote, defend and extend your rights as a student and to support Students Associations the length and breadth of Scotland to be as strong and as active as they can be. We re the recognised voice for lobbying the Scottish Parliament on behalf of students and for representing students to many other government and independent bodies. As well as working on student funding and rights, we also have a dedicated team of Liberation Officers, campaigning both with NUS and separately for Women, LGBT, Black and Disabled Students. We rely on the input of students so to get involved contact your local student s association and let us know! Stiofán McFadden, NUS Scotland LGBT Campaign lgbt@nus-scotland.org.uk

4 3 Getting started Setting Up an LGBT Society Roles within the Society/LGBT Officers Recruiting Members Finding a Venue Running a Meeting

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6 5 Setting up If your university of college doesn t already have an LGBT society, the following information could help you think about the steps you need to take in order to make this happen. LGBT societies can vary from one place to another and there are no set rules about how you should run your society. Some societies will mainly be about meeting other LGBT students and socialising, while others will be more focused around campaigning and activism. What matters is that your society meets the needs of all its members and is accessible to all other LGBT students. What are the benefits of having an LGBT society? To create a sense of community for LGBT students: Most people get involved with groups and clubs as it provides a sense of belonging and allows them to meet other people with similar interests, experiences and attitudes. For LGBT people, local LGBT communities can have an important role in providing safe space to do this. We think it is important that LGBT students also have this opportunity, and an LGBT society is the ideal first step. To provide peer support: LGBT societies can be a lifeline for some LGBT students who are looking for support and guidance, or to feel like they re not the only one dealing with issues around sexuality or gender. The opportunity to meet and talk to other people who are having or had similar experiences can give people the support and confidence they ve maybe not had before. Many students will be away from home for the first time, or might have just recently come out, so a supportive group can make these experiences easier. To raise awareness and tackle homo, lesbo, bi and transphobia: Many LGBT students report that homophobia and harassment is still a problem for them at university or college. Often this can be very indirect and can range from issues such as a lack of resources for LGBT students to inadequate support provided to students who are transitioning. Other issues can include lack of acceptance from the general student population and lack of awareness about the rights and needs of LGBT students. An LGBT society can be instrumental in running campaigns to raise awareness and challenging universities and colleges. First steps to creating an LGBT society If your university or college has an LGBT Officer (See Roles within the Society card), they can support the development of a society, so get in touch and share your ideas (most LGBT Officers can be contacted through the Student s Union, so try there first!). Societies need to have official documents such as a constitution and memorandum, so contact the university or student s union office who should be able to provide a template and guidelines. It is also important to know what the need is for an LGBT society at your university or college, so doing some research around campus can be a good way to find out. You might want to do a general attitudes survey (think about using online tools as well as paper based forms), you might want to go out and about on the local gay scene to see if there is interest. If there is already an identified group of LGBT students, you can ask them about the type of activities and campaigns that would be important to them.

7 6 Governance Each LGBT society will have different ideas about how your organisation will operate and how to go about it. If you do not have a set of rules you might be surprised to find you are all pulling in different directions and trying to achieve different things. Do we need a Constitution? Getting a constitution gets everyone clear about what you intend to do. Lots of constitutions have been written before and to get one off the shelf rather than invent it all yourself works for most groups. It ensures that important bits are not left out and it is an opportunity for everything you need to think about to get discussed. Your constitution should also cover these basic aspects: Your objectives why you need to exist Your aims what you want the society to achieve How you will be run the committee, administration and meetings Who your members will be and how they will be involved How you will spend your money Do we need a Committee? A constitution usually defines the governing body of a society as a Committee. You will at least need someone to Chair the meetings, someone to write down what happens at meetings (a Secretary) and someone who looks after the money, a Treasurer. You can add other Committee Members with or without specific roles and duties. These posts are elected at a general meeting. What is a General Meeting? All those involved in the running of a society are usually members. Since it is run for them it is they who usually ultimately say how it is all organised. At the first General Meeting you should adopt (agree) your constitution and elect the Committee Members and Officers. You will normally have at least one General Meeting (Annual General Meeting) a year to complete business, authorise what the committee does and elect members and officers for the Committee for the forthcoming year. Do we need a Bank Account? You will need to have a way of handling your society s money. For this reason it is useful to open a bank account. The account should be opened in the name of the group and should have 2 signatories for all cheques. It is often a good idea for groups to have 3 or 4 signatories on an account of whom any 2 can sign cheques to cover when committee members are on holiday or unable to sign cheques for the group.

8 7 Roles For an LGBT society to be successful, it is important to consider roles within the society. If you are just setting up a society for the first time, it might just be one or two of you that take on all the roles until the society is more established. If your society is already set up, you might want to consider roles such as Chair, Vice Chair & Secretary. You ll find a short job description for each of these roles on the back of this card. Of course, all societies are different, if you need more advice and support setting up a society speak to your Student Union or get in touch with LGBT Youth Scotland. Things to consider The skills of the people within your society who would be good at what. Time commitments- committee member roles can be demanding on time and need reliable people to make them work. Energy and enthusiasm- leading a society can take a lot of effort, especially during the early stages, so you need to think about how you will motivate others and keep the momentum going. All positions come with responsibilities, regardless of how small your society may be. If you are the Chair or hold any other position within your society you should think about the following: Confidentiality Not all students want to be out a person s sexuality is private information. Professionalism You are representing your college/university/student union. Representation You are the voice of all LGBT students, therefore, you need to ensure that you are gathering the opinions of others as well as your own personal opinions. Equality You need to be inclusive of L, G, B and T students and have an understanding of the different issues around sexual orientation and gender identity. Knowledge In this role it is important that you have an understanding of relevant university/college policies to best support students and work with the institution to ensure everyone is included. First Steps Read over the job descriptions on the back of this card. Decide what stage your society is at and what roles you need at the moment Try and spread out the tasks if possible- if you are relying on just one person to do the majority of the work, there is the danger of them burning out or the society falling away when they leave. LGBT Officers Many Students Unions have an LGBT Officer, who is responsible for overseeing the welfare of LGBT individuals during their time as a student. LGBT Officers also work with the university and college staff to consider wider issues of inclusion for LGBT students. LGBT Officers main roles are: To represent LGBT students to the students union/college/ university etc. To provide advice to students, members, and university/college. Demonstrate commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion within the university.

9 8 Committee roles Chair The Chair is the lead role within a society. The must support and develop the group and be the lead spokesperson. Although final decisions may rest with them, a good Chair will involve all members in decision-making and ensure everyone has an active role. Duties include: Planning the agenda of committee meetings. Leading Committee meetings and other society meetings. Ensuring the committee works effectively together. Ensuring all participants have the opportunity to contribute and participate. Signing cheques and making budgetary decisions. Ensuring the society works towards the aims agreed by the members and follows the conditions set out in their constitution. Ensuring voting procedures are followed. Dealing with any disputes within the society. Representing the organisation at external events. Liaising with the press on behalf of the organisation. Vice Chair The Vice Chair s role is to assist the Chair and to take on the role of the Chair at any meetings/events in the Chair s absence. If you have a larger society, it is a good idea to divide the roles of the Chair between the two positions, so that the workload is spread out and more manageable. Secretary The Secretary is the person who is responsible for internal communication and administration and is a crucial role within a society. Sometimes this can be a more time-consuming role than that of the Chair. Duties include: Planning the dates and times of all meetings and events with the rest of the committee. Making arrangements for meetings, such as organising refreshments, booking rooms, ensuring appropriate facilities for participants with disabilities or other special needs. Sending out correspondence to all members about upcoming meetings and events. Taking and producing minutes of all meetings, and ensuring that procedures are followed. Dealing with membership (new members/leaving members). Dealing with correspondence and publicity. Treasurer The Treasurer is responsible for managing the society s finances and keeping records. Duties include: Book-keeping and record keeping. Developing and maintaining recording systems around petty cash, receipts and expenses. A signatory for bank accounts. Financial planning and budgeting. Regularly informing the committee of the financial position of the group. Developing financial policies, such as claiming expenses. Producing annual statements of accounts. Ensuring accounts are properly audited according to regulations and the constitution. Managing and generating income (fundraising, grant applications, sales). Setting up insurance for the society if necessary.

10 9 Recruiting An LGBT society needs members to get involved and be active in order to operate efficiently. Recruiting and retaining members can sometimes be difficult, so this card sets out some methods for attracting new students and keeping current members interested and involved. Why do we need members? To run activities and campaigns: Members can help the committee run more activities and campaigns by leading workshops, volunteering to organise events and networking to gain support for campaigns. To support other LGBT students: Societies are a great place for other students to get support and advice and access information about what is going on at their university or college. Members can act as buddies or befrienders to new students and can act as information points to signpost LGBT students on to other services. How to get people involved Set up a website - do some research and see if other societies within your university or college have web pages or websites linked to the university pages. You can speak to the students union to find out if there is funding or resources available to help you get this started. Some colleges and universities have LCD screens in their reception areas. This could be a great way to have your society advertised to the general student population. Why not speak to the university or college student union or reception to see if you can create a short slide show to be displayed on them. Remember to ensure your promotional material is accessible to all LGBT students. Often people who are bisexual or transgender may feel overlooked by LGBT groups. Targeted or inclusive recruitment will increase the diversity of your society and make it more appealing for all LGBT students to get involved. Find out what the students are interested in and shape your promotional events/material to meet their interests. If students are looking for more social activities, why not host a small quiz night at the student bar; if they are more attracted by political movements, why not host a small meeting to establish campaign ideas and priorities In the early days, producing basic printed leaflets, flyers and posters can be an effective way of letting people know your society exists. Make sure you keep the promotional material simple and easy to understand. Post the promotional material around the university or college and don t forget local cafes, bars and the gay scene (if there is one nearby).

11 10 What stops people coming back? Student life can be hectic and stressful; exams and pressures to achieve can mean that sometimes students will have little time to socialise and be active. Try to take this into account when planning your activities and promotion and make sure that you don t overload your members with tasks during busy exam periods. It s not much fun being part of a society if you don t feel included. Make sure that your society is inclusive of all members and remember that it is not just the committee who should make decisions - all members should have a fair say in the work that is being done. Being LGB or T still has stigma attached to it and some students may find they are isolated from their friends and peers if it is known that they attend the LGBT society. It is a good idea to ensure that your activities are accessible to students who are not out to friends and peers, that allow them to still gain support but perhaps not be as visible as others. If you want your members to stay involved, it is important that the society stick to its aims and delivers what it set out to. A lack of progress or clear direction can be very off-putting for members. Repetition and lack of variety will cause some members to loose interest and disengage with the society. Keep your events and activities varied, and spend time reflecting on past meetings and events and think about what made them a success or failure.

12 11 Venue One of the first practical things that a society needs is a safe space to operate meetings and activities. You can talk to the college or universities Student s Union for support and advice about accessing venues on campus. You may want to meet off campus if it suits your needs better, or if there is widespread homophobia or fear of being outed on campus. Why do we need a safe space? It is important to have a regular meeting space which is safe and allows for all members to feel comfortable. By ensuring that members feel protected and happy you will ensure that you get the best out of each individual and they will be able to participate to their fullest. Also, by having a regular meeting place and time, members are more likely to remember to attend. Things to think about Find a venue and make sure that it is LGBT friendly (you might want to speak to the venue staff and let them know what meeting will be taking place). You could try putting up some poster from local LGBT groups and organisations to let your society members know that it is an LGBT friendly space. Check the rules and regulations for the venue and make sure you can meet there at the times that are suitable to you (remember you might not only want to use this space for meetings, it might also be used for peer support meetings during the day). You might have membership from students who are not yet 18, therefore you should consider this when booking a venue (meeting in a licensed premises may exclude people). Check and make sure that your society venue is accessible to students with disabilities. If there are no other options except a venue that is not accessible, do you have a plan for how to include disabled members? Make sure you are realistic about the room you need; if you have a smaller group, then try to find a smaller space. A big, empty room can feel uninviting, especially to new members. Remember, you can always move to a bigger location when you need to. If you have permission, why not get some useful info up on the walls in your meeting space. Posters for local events, LGBT groups and international movements might inspire your members to come up with new ideas or events. Who can help? First stop would be to speak to the Student Union and see what space they have available, you may be able to share a space with another society or use union space when it is free. In most colleges and universities you can access these rooms free through the union, find out how to book a room by checking the university or college website or speaking to the Student s Union office. Establish a regular meeting time, and make sure it is a convenient time for the majority of the society.

13 12 Advertising As well as recruiting members and raising the profile of your society, advertising and promotion can be useful for fundraising, working with other agencies, and ensuring your society is seen as an active part of your university or college. Creating an identity for your society (name and logo) can be useful first step to make your society stand out as well as creating a greater sense of belonging for members. Next it is important to think about the range of methods that can be used for promotion and advertising. Having leaflets and posters designed and printed can be expensive, so consider cheaper or free options first. Advertising Methods Some universities and colleges will be willing to send out s on your behalf to all current students. Contact the registry or student union to see if this is an option. This is a quick and easy way to let everyone know about your society and how to get in touch. Before doing this, you might want to set up a separate address for the society. It s best not to use a personal , just in case you get any negative responses. This can also cause problems when the student is no longer involved in the society. Information Screens Many colleges, universities and student unions have electronic screens around campus providing information to students. Again, contact your registry or student union to find out the policies around advertising on these. A simple PowerPoint presentation of a few slides is a great way to promote your society and let other students know about upcoming events. It is also relatively easy to update, so the information remains current. Student Newspaper/Radio/TV Advertising in papers and on the radio can cost money, but why not write an article about your society or volunteer to be interviewed. This will give you the opportunity to let other students know more about the society. If it goes down well, you could agree to have a regular input to keep everyone up to date with new developments.

14 13 Posters/Flyers Posters and flyers are still a really effective way of advertising your society. Posters are also a good way of raising LGBT visibility around campus. If your budget is tight, consider asking design students to help, create a joint flyer with another society, or approach an LGBT bar/club to sponsor you. Website Having your own website is a great way to provide more in-depth information about your society and promote upcoming events. Again, websites can be pricey, but if there are students studying web design, they might be willing to create something simple for a reduced cost or free. Other easier alternatives are social networking sites. Group pages mean that you can still have an online presence without any cost. Whether it is your own website or a social networking site, the most important thing is that they are kept up to date. Think about who is responsible for managing the content, how many people can edit it, and that addresses and contacts are kept current. Ask the Student s Union to put a link to your website onto their general website to help you to publicise your activities. Things to Consider When deciding on a name, try and think of something both original and memorable. Once you ve decided, try searching for the name online to see if it s been used by others. If you are having a logo designed, think about how much you are willing to spend or it might be worth considering if there are any design students who would do something for free Try and advertise in both public and more private places. Public advertising sends a message to students that there is a strong LGBT presence at your university or college, and more private advertising (such as the back of toilet cubicle doors) lets LGBT students who may not be out the chance to write down websites or phone numbers without the worry of others seeing them.

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16 15 Up and running Fresher s Week Running a Society Meeting Running a Social Event Introducing the LGBT Scene Befriending and Peer Support

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18 17 Fresher s Week One of the best places to meet potential members and generally raise the awareness about your society to the student population is by getting involved with the fresher s fair. Fresher s fairs are held at the beginning of each university or college year and are a chance for new students to find out about the range of opportunities available to them, including student societies. Why should we bother? Any society will stay fresh if you have an influx of new members each year; these members bring new ideas, networks and possible contacts, and can turn your society into a larger, stronger group. What s involved? For most societies, fresher s weeks are primarily a market place affair, where societies and other related university or college groups host stalls for new students to ask questions, find out about events and pick up information. Other colleges and universities societies will also run social events to mark fresher s week. If you would like to host a fresher s event, have a look at the Running a Social Event card. How to set up a fresher s stall Get in touch with the Student s Union; they will be the most likely lead for any fresher s fair event. Let them know that you would like to host a stall and are looking for information about the day and time it will be taking place. Enlist the support of your members to run the stall during the fair. Often these events can be long and may last all day. Tired and bored members will not make your society seem appealing to new students, so make sure you have enough volunteers who can work on a rota basis. As this event will be about reaching out to new students and promoting the work of the society, you want members who are working on the stall to be friendly, enthusiastic, approachable, knowledgeable and, most of all, positive about the society. Run a briefing session for the members who will be working on the stall. They should be confident to answer questions about the general activities of the society, talk about some successful past events and campaigns and introduce some events or activities that are planned. The volunteers should also be ready to speak to new LGBT students who are away from home for the first time, perhaps not out to anyone and may need support. It is important that the members are able to point these students to the right avenues for support, or offer to bring them along to the next meeting - the stall is not the place for a one-on-one peer support session to take place! Make sure volunteers are able to deal with any homophobic comments they may get from students when running the stall and know how to report this to the university or college afterwards. It might be an idea to speak to whoever is co-ordinating the fair beforehand to ensure they are willing to support you. Make sure you have all your promotional material ready to go on the stall - even if this is simple printed factsheets about the society with meeting times and venues listed. continued over

19 18 Fresher s Week continued Print out a mailing list sign up sheet - volunteers can ask people to add their names, phone numbers and addresses so you can keep them up to date with your activities and meetings. If people don t want to be seen signing up in public, have flyers with contact details, so they can sign up at a later date. Make it fun and attractive; ensure your stall will stand out from the rest, get a rainbow flag to cover the table with, play some tunes and if possible have free give-aways like pens, badges. When it s all over... Remember to thank the members who worked really hard to make the event happen, and ensure you capitalise on all that hard work by getting new contacts added to the mailing list and research or consultation data compiled (and remember once you have the data it s worth analysing and using to help shape your next event or campaign!) Fresher s fairs are also a great opportunity to do some consultation with new students? Why not have a suggestions box for new activities, conduct social attitudes survey or get feedback on new campaign material.

20 19 Running a Society Meeting If it is your first meeting, you might want to think about spending some time deciding the aims and goals of your society, agreeing on your society s structure, writing your constitution or establishing the best ways of communicating or keeping in touch with each other between meetings. Although there are a lot of important decisions to be made, try and achieve a balance of society business and fun. If you spend the whole of your first meeting deciding on policy details, you might lose the attention of some members. A good way around this is to find out who is interested in a more committee role and hold a separate meeting to go over the finer details. One of the most important items to discuss is how often the group are going to meet and where. (See Finding a Venue card for more info). Also, spend some time getting to know one another there are some example icebreakers on the back of the Organising a Social Event card. Things to Consider First Steps Arrange room / venue Advertise Have a key contact/ address for enquiries and ensure someone is checking this regularly on the lead up to the first meeting. Plan the meeting agenda and decide on who is going to lead each part Organise any equipment or resources needed for the meeting Have an agenda- a well organised first meeting will let others know that they are joining an organised group and that they are not wasting their time Take minutes to keep a record of what has been decided and to remind members what was discussed Agree on a preferred communication method ( , social networking sites, text message) to circulate minutes/keep everyone up to date with meeting times, etc.

21 20 First Meeting Agenda Time Item Lead Introductions Chair 10 mins Chair introduces themselves and any other committee members. Then welcomes everyone to the meeting and thanks them for coming along. Finishes by running through the agenda for the evening Icebreaker Chair 10 mins Run a ten minute icebreaker, to get all participants talking to one another Expectations 15 mins Ask everyone to find a partner and spend 5 minutes discussing their expectations for the society. Then ask them to write each on a post it note and stick to the flipchart. The facilitator should then read through each of these and have a short discussion with the group about each. Notes/ Equipment/ Resources Flipchart, post its & pens Alternatively you could have two separate flipcharts with the headings: What I would like to get out of the society personally What I would like the society to achieve as a group Aims of the Society 20 mins Following on from the last exercise, place three sheets of flipchart on the wall with the headings: Short Term (3 months) Medium Term (6 months) Long Term (Year) Divide participants into three groups and place each one at one of the three sheets of flipchart. Tell them they will have 5 minutes in their group to write down as many aims as possible. Then swap the groups around and repeat until each group has contributed to all three flipcharts Next Steps 20 mins Take the short term flipchart from the last exercise and read out each of the aims. As a whole group, ask participants to shout out what would need to happen to achieve each of the short term aims. Get someone to write down the next steps for each aim. If possible, ask members to take a lead with each aim Got/Need 15 mins Thinking about the aims and the next steps, ask participants to think about what the society already has (i.e. venue, access to printing) and what they still need to achieve their aims (i.e. funding, more members). Spend some time thinking how the society can use what it already has and how it will get what it still needs Meeting practicalities Decide as a group date/time/venue of next meeting

22 Running a Social Event 21 Once your society is up and running, you might want to plan a social event. As well as being a lot of fun, social events can raise awareness of your society, help recruit new members, and build relations with local cafes, bars and other venues. Such events, however, need more planning and often have a cost attached to them. A society which runs a wide variety of events is more likely to attract a wider and more diverse group of members, which in turn will add to the group. Things to consider Type of Event Have a look over the list of examples below and consider what event would appeal most to the members of the society. Venue If you are using/hiring an external venue, make sure you explain that it is an LGBT group and the staff are supportive of your event. Location Think about accessibility and ensure that everyone can get to the venue easily. It s also important to consider if it is safe for people travelling home. Time of Event Make sure that you think about the timing of your event; when do people have assignments/ exams, and when are people most likely to come along. Membership Will your event be inclusive of your society membership and if one event doesn t appeal to everyone, think about doing something different for your next event. General Events Quiz Night arrange to go to a quiz night at a local venue, or ask if you can hold your own. Film Night contact a local cinema or ask your university or college if they have facilities for you to show films. Pub Crawl arrange a night to visit a variety of bars. Hill Walk get your society outdoors and plan a walk in the country. Remember to think about safety and plan walks. Ghost Walk many cities hold ghost walks at night. Arrange for your group to all get scared together! Sports Day arrange your own sports day in the park. It can be as serious or silly as you like, from Olympic competitions to egg and spoon races. Picnic ask everyone to make or bring something to eat and then meet in a local park for an afternoon to eat and chat. LGBT Events Pride there are various Pride events held in Scotland. Why not arrange to go as a group, or make a banner to join in with the march. IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) is the 17th May. Check out for ideas around how to get involved. Trans Remembrance Day is 20th November. See for more information World AIDS Day is the 1st Dec. Why not mark it by running safer sex awareness events at your university or college. National Coming Out Day is the 11th October. continued over

23 22 Running A Social Event continued ICEBREAKERS Name Chain Ask all participants to stand in a circle and ask one person to volunteer themselves. They start by saying their name with an adjective in front of it that starts with the same letter as their name, like Excitable Euan. Then the next person does the same, but has to repeat the last person too (I m Interesting Ian, and this is Excitable Euan). Keep going until everyone has had a shot. Similarities Everyone has to find a partner and come up with three things that they have in common. The pairs then have to join with another pair and come up with three similarities that all four people have in common. Keep repeating until you are left with one whole group. Two Truths & A Lie Ask everyone to sit in a circle and tell them they have 5 minutes to think of three pieces of information about themselves. Two pieces should be true and one should be a lie. Ask for a volunteer to start, and then work your way around the circle. Each person should tell the rest of the group the three things about themselves and the rest of the group have to guess which one is a lie. Cornflakes Ask all participants except one to get a chair/hoop and make a circle, or to randomly spread themselves out across the room. The one person who doesn t have a chair/hoop stands in the middle. They have to then shout out a statement like: Everyone wearing blue change Everyone who had toast for breakfast change Everyone who the statement applies to has to swap places with someone else. Meanwhile the person in the middle has to try and steal one of the places. Whoever doesn t get a space stands in the middle and shouts the next statement. Alternatively, they can shout cornflakes and everyone has to change. Human Scrabble Print out single letters on A4 sheets of paper and give each person one letter. For every 8-9 people playing form a team. Tell participants that you are going to shout out categories and the members of each team have to arrange themselves in order to spell a word that fits into the category. The players whose letters are not being used must crouch down. Whatever team spells a word first that fits get 1 point. After each round allow each team the opportunity to swap one of their letters for a new one. Categories could be a colour, a name, a body part, a country, a building, a piece of furniture, etc

24 23 Introducing LGBT Students To The Local Scene As an LGBT society, you will probably have some events that take place in the local scene. Having good links to the local gay scene is a good idea both so you can meet potential new members for the society and so you can run events at or with these venues. However, it is also an important role of an LGBT society to introduce LGBT students to their local scene and ensure students are aware of safety when out and about. How? Your society should provide information for LGBT students that is relevant, up to date and useful. Here are some ideas: Develop a local gay map that shows where all the LGBT friendly bars, clubs, restaurants, cafe s and community spaces are located To get the map designed, speak to the art and design students at your university or college Why not see if some of the local bars would like to sponsor this map, that way you can get it printed rather than simply having it online - make sure their logo is featured if they do sponsor you. Make sure you include community spaces, LGBT friendly art galleries and other non-scene related venues as some LGBT people may prefer this type of scene Take into account age restrictions of each venue, and list up to date opening and closing times, theme nights, usual clientele e.g. mostly lesbian, mixed etc and even reviews from local residents Safe walking routes home advise routes that are well lit, busy public areas and easy to access. Suggest some safety tips for students to follow while they are out and about -you can speak to you local community safely police officer who will help with this (contact your local police station, or ask to speak to the equalities officer/lgbt liaison officer at police stations in larger cities)

25 24 Safety on The Scene Guide Going out on the scene can be a lot of fun, but once you ve had a few drinks, it can be easy to forget to look after yourself and your friends and make sure everyone is safe. Below is a list of things to consider to make the most of your night out and ensure everyone has a good time right until the end. Go out and come home in a group More friends mean more fun, and if you party in a group, it means you can all look out for one another. Walking to and from bars and clubs on your own Keep money aside for a taxi Always put money aside for getting a taxi home. If you are leaving a bar or club late at night and have been drinking, even if you are in a group, you are more vulnerable to being mugged or attacked. Also, if you get split up from your group, or want to leave at a different time from others, you don t have to walk home alone. Make sure your phone is charged If you are having a big night out, make sure your phone is well charged, so if you lose people you can get in touch, or you can phone a taxi to take you home. Leave valuables at home Only take what is necessary on a night out, as it can be easy to lose things or have expensive items stolen. Also, don t carry large sums of cash. It s easier to take out more money if you need it than carrying lots and losing it. Pace yourself It can seem more sociable to buy drinks in rounds, but this often means keeping up with the fastest drinker. Buying your own drinks, means you can drink at your own pace and stop when you ve had enough. It s also a good idea to drink water in-between alcoholic drinks to keep yourself hydrated. Keep an eye on your drink Make sure you don t leave your drink unattended as someone could slip drugs into it. If you are going to the toilet, leave your drink with a trusted friend. Make sure people know where you re going If you go decide to go home with someone, make sure someone knows where you are going. Arrange a time to call each other the next day, so you can let them know you are home safely.

26 Befriending 25 and Peer Support LGBT Societies can offer valuable support to some students. If you have a larger or more established society, you may consider offering an informal befriending service for newer members. What Is Befriending? Befriending is a form of peer support, where more established members are matched with newer members to offer friendship, advice and support in a non-judgemental way. This could be as little as arranging to meet a new member half an hour before a society meeting to discuss what the society does and to introduce the new member to others. More intensive befriending involves meeting up with another member on a regular basis to provide informal support or company. Things to Consider Think about your society s capacity before starting a befriending scheme (do you have a group of committed volunteers). Identify someone who can co-ordinate the service. Develop policies or guidance around the service, such as a code of conduct. Provide training and guidance for volunteer befrienders. Think about how you will advertise the service. Produce information and guidance for befriendees, so they know what to expect from the service. Make sure volunteers know their own limitations and don t try to give advice on specialist subjects, like mental health. Ensure that all volunteer befrienders understand confidentiality before they start. Have a list of contacts of support organisations who you can signpost clients to that need more in-depth support or advice. Guidelines Always have two befrienders at initial befriendee meetings. On the initial meeting, the befriendee should have the service explained to them fully and they should be given a list of guidelines to follow. Always ask the befriendee who he/she wants to talk to (younger / older / trans etc). All s regarding befriending should be passed to the co-ordinator to manage. Always meet in a public place, but allow the person to decide where to meet (mostly coffee shops). What is discussed during befriending sessions should only be shared with the co-ordinator if the befriender is worried about the befriendee s safety or someone else s safety. The befriender should let the befriendee know where possible if they are going to share information. The co-ordinator should be informed of the outcomes of the meeting afterwards, and be told when the meeting is over and that everyone is safe. If a romantic relationship occurs, the befriender and befriendee should stop befriending immediately. If you know you can t handle the situation you should pass it over to the co-ordinator. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable, speak to the co-ordinator about this. Avoid using personal phone numbers or s. Encourage befriendees to attend events and meetings to meet others, but don t be pushy. continued over

27 26 Befriending continued First Steps 1. Speak to your university or college about setting up a befriending service (They may have certain rules or guidance about such services) 2. Identify a Co-ordinator 3. Set up policies and guidance around the service Useful Websites To find out more information on befriending visit: Befriending Network Scotland Mentoring and Befriending Foundation 4. Recruit volunteers 5. Provide adequate training 6. Promote the service 7. Develop confidential databases to record who is befriending who, when meetings are happening, and to detail any incidents or concerns and how these were dealt with.

28 27 Going Further Running a Campaign Dealing with the Press Fundraising Working with Partners

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30 29 How to Run a Campaign Many LGBT societies concentrate on social events and peer support, but if you are interested in making your society a bit more political, why not run a campaign. Why campaign? Raise the profile of the society Running a campaign is a really good way to get your society noticed and raise its profile both within and out with the university or college. Campaigns make good stories for campus newspapers or radio stations, and may even attract the attention of the local press (See Dealing With The Press card). Recruit new members or supporters Campaigns allow you to consult with the wider student body, which in turn can often lead to new recruits. Furthermore, a society that runs campaigns will often attract different students than that of a society that just holds social meetings. Campaigns are also a great way to build support from non-lgbt students too and build up a team of LGBT allies. Raise awareness of LGBT issues Having an LGBT society at your university or college will at least make other students more aware that there is an LGBT presence. A campaign, however, can provide the opportunity to really reach out to other students and educate them on the issues faced by LGBT people. This can, in turn, increase support for LGBT students on campus. Provide opportunities to work in partnership with other organisations Before you decide on a campaign area, why not do some research into other LGBT groups and organisations. They might already be running a campaign that you can support or be able to provide ideas for your own campaign. Whatever comes out of it, it will provide you with the opportunity to establish external links and make new working relationships. Improve conditions for other LGBT students at your university or college Running a campaign can be the first step to challenging homophobia within your university or college or providing LGBT students with greater rights. Beginning with campaigns that focus on issues for LGBT people at your university or college rather than on a global scale, will mean there is more chance to make progress and achieve what you set out. It might not feel like much, but making your campus more LGBT friendly will have a huge impact on many students lives Change the world! Local campaigning is important, but it also doesn t mean you should shy away from the bigger issues, especially if your society already has some experience of running campaigns. If you do decide to run a campaign that focuses on a more general issue for LGBT people, such as equal marriage or fighting for the decriminalisation of homosexuality across the globe, be realistic about what your society can achieve. Just because something isn t going to change overnight, doesn t mean it s not worth campaigning about, but running a campaign where you see no progress over a long period of time can be demotivating. Think about shorter term goals within the campaign that you can work towards and celebrate achievements when they happen to keep spirits up. continued over

31 30 Running A Campaign continued Steps 1. Deciding on a campaign topic This can often be the trickiest part. Why not look in the LGBT press or internet to see what issues for LGBT people are current. Alternatively, you could create a short questionnaire to find out what issues other LGBT students feel most strongly about. If you pick a campaign that lots of people are interested in, you re more likely to get greater support when you start running it. 2. Campaign Aims Once you have agreed on a campaign topic, it s time to think about what you are hoping to achieve. Are you looking to raise awareness about a certain issue, change policies within your university, raise money for a relevant cause or lobby the government? Your campaign aims will play and important part in shaping what your campaign looks like. 3. Shaping Your Campaign There are lots of different ways you can campaign, so get creative. Rather than collecting signatures for a petition, why not gather photos with people holding a sign to say they support the campaign. Or create a social networking group page to gather supporters from all over. If you would like to do something more active, why not arrange a rally or march? Most local authorities will accept applications to run peaceful demonstrations, as long as you give them enough notice. Contact your local council to find out how to make an application. At the bottom of this page is a list of other campaigning ideas. 5. Promotion The more people who know about your campaign, the more support you are likely to get, so make sure you use every opportunity to promote it (See Advertising & Promotion card). Getting celebrity endorsement also helps too. Think about who is most likely to be sympathetic to the issue and work out a straightforward way for them to show their support. It could be as simple as a short statement, letter of support, or photograph with campaign materials. 6. Fundraising To run a campaign you might think about getting posters printed or badges or stickers made to encourage others to get involved. All these things cost money, so you might want to build fundraising into the beginning of your campaign timeline (See Fundraising card). 7. Celebrate Successes Keep fellow campaigners motivated and energised by taking time to celebrate achievements along the way. Equally, keep your student newspaper or radio up to date with your progress. Campaign Ideas Campaigning involves a variety of methods to get peoples attentions, here are just a few: Public petitions, Street march, Public Rally, Leaflets, Flash Mobs, Graffiti Wall, Public Debate Event, Letter writing to politicians and Poster Campaigns. 4. Create a Timeline Successful campaigns are well planned with short term goals to keep people interested. Changing attitudes or legislation doesn t happen quickly, so think about building in elements of the campaign that can be achieved relatively easily. Creating a timeline will let you breakdown each stage of the campaign and work out what needs to be done. It will also allow you to think about who is responsible for each part of the campaign.