Stand Up Awareness Week took place from November 4-8, 2024. Thank you to all of the post-primary schools, youth services and Youthreach centres that took part this year!
Belong To’s Stand Up Awareness Week is a time for post-primary schools, youth services and Youthreach centres in Ireland to join us and take a stand against homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
This week is an opportunity to take steps to make spaces safe and supportive for LGBTQ+ young people. We will equip you with the resources, tools and knowledge needed to host Stand Up Awareness Week in your school, youth service or Youthreach at any time that works for you.
It is heartbreaking that one in five young LGBTQ+ people face bullying and that 76% of LGBTQ+ students feel unsafe at school. Together we can create spaces where LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, equal and valued.
Stand Up Awareness Week Awards
This year, we introduced the Stand Up Awareness Week Awards to celebrate the diversity of inspiring and impactful actions that will have been carried out in schools, Youthreach centres and youth services all over the country.
There were so many incredible submissions to chose from, so a massive thanks and congrats to all who entered. We did have to narrow them down to a winner of each category – not an easy job, so difficult in fact that some categories have two winners!
The winners of this year’s Stand Up Awareness Week awards were announced by CEO, Moninne Griffith (she/her), on Tuesday December 10th – Check out the video below to see the winners being announced:
Winners List:
The Stand Up Awareness Week Impact Award – Limerick Educate Together Secondary School
The Stand Up Awareness Week Theme Award – Mercy College Roscommon & Enniscorthy Community College
The Stand Up Awareness Week Visibility Award – St Mary’s Secondary School Glasnevin & Sutton Park School
The Stand Up Awareness Week Creative Expression Award – Bailieborough Community School
The Stand Up Awareness Week Photography Award – Sutton Park School
The Stand Up Awareness Week Youth Participation Award – Limerick Educate Together Secondary School
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“Who wouldn’t want to be a teacher during Stand Up Awareness Week? A time of fun, friendship, learning and solidarity. A time when the the community that schools can provide gets to shine and we get to show love, compassion and inclusion for every single member of our school.”
Lauren Comer, Mercy College Coolock, Dublin
Stand Up Awareness Week Resources
Belong To will send schools, Youthreach centres and youth services a resource pack including an information guide and posters in mid-September 2024.
You can download the resources for Stand Up Awareness Week 2024 here:
Additional resources from previous Stand Up Awareness Weeks are available for download here:
Spill The Tea
Every year for Stand Up Awareness Week, schools, Youthreach centres, and youth services around the country hold bake sales, coffee mornings, and bake offs to raise funds to support our life saving work with LGBTQ+ young people.
Our free ‘Spill the Tea’ fundraising event pack makes this simpler than ever, with a whole pack of materials, decorations and resources sent to anyone holding a Spill the Tea fundraiser, including as part of Stand Up Awareness Week.
Find out more about Spill The Tea, and get in touch to receive your free pack here:
‘Standing Up in our Communities’ – Classroom Activity
The theme of Stand Up Awareness Week 2024 is ‘Standing Up in our Communities’. A great way to develop an understanding of the communities that an individual is connected to is creating an ecomap demonstrating the interconnection between different communities.
Find a sample lesson plan below for this activity that can be used for an interactive Stand Up Awareness Week classroom based exercise:
Get In Touch
Stand Up Awareness Week Endorsers
Thank you to our Stand Up Awareness Week funders:
Stand Up Awareness Week is endorsed by:
