Aug 11, 2020
Dana interviews the Executive Directors of Get Real, Chris Studer and Marley Bowen. They discuss the importance of creating inclusion and diversity throughout our schools across the country. Their mission is to create open conversations and educate students on the importance of being kind and respectful of all people, everywhere.
Get REAL was founded in 2011, inspired by our experiences volunteering in the Welcome Week program at Western University. As older mentors to hundreds of students each year, we began noticing that we were having success talking to our first years about derogatory (homophobic, transphobic, racist, etc) language, and creating a safe space for marginalized students who were looking to express themselves safely. The reason was in our approach: we were close in age, friendly, non-judgemental, and personal -- we often opened up about our own lives to build a genuine, honest, human connection. And it worked. We saw countless students changing their language within days, and countless others coming out to us and feeling more comfortable being themselves.