Our Objectives were to 1. Do some background research on how materials are or are not representative of LGBTQIA+ individuals and make that research available (Stage 1 of the project) 2. Provide training and research for our teachers and staff, and staff in other language schools, on the topic of making LGBTQIA+ individuals more included in class and in school (Stage 2 of the project) 3. Generate materials that could be used to support teachers in their work to make LGBTQIA_+ inclusive spaces for our students (Stage 3 of the project) 4. Start the conversation about inclusive materials and classroom materials in use and hope to inspire others to take up the challenge and think about their language classes (Through presentations at the Eaquals conference and writing for the International House World Organisation Journal and blogging on the EPALE website)
Bridge Mills Galway Language Centre(BMGLC) (Patrick Creed) attended an EPALE meeting in Athlone in 2024 and Daire from TENI gave a very inspiring presentation on Trans issues in Ireland and the work that TENI does. That started the process of BMGLC thinking about its student population and how their LGBTQIA+ students are represented in the materials the school uses to teach its students. This lead to the conversation about what we could achieve if we did some research on this area and how we could make a difference to making our school more inclusive. BMGLC had worked in the past with Transilvanian Educational Services and Tourism SRL. and in discussion with them we came to realise that we shared similar views and that was the start of the idea for the project with TENI as the other partner. A key aspect of the project was to do back ground research and generate training and materials for teachers to use in their language classrooms, wherever they are to create more inclusive LGBTQIA+ environments for their language learners. These needs were addressed by the project, and we now have resources we can use with our teachers to better represent and support our LGBTQIA+ staff and students and help them feel valued and represented.