Riot Youth School Climate Survey

In 2008, many Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQQ) students across the Ann Arbor Public Schools felt isolated, alone and unheard. They were harassed and discriminated against in their schools daily. Incidents ranged from derogatory terms hurled at students in hallways to life-threatening physical bullying. Few administrators, teachers and other students believed this could exist in Ann Arbor, perceived by most as a liberal town. Students’ pleas to administration went mostly unaddressed, and the already isolated individuals felt their calls echo into silence.

Riot Youth, an LGBTQQ youth program at Neutral Zone to provide social support and opportunities to create change, utilized participatory action research to improve their school climate. Participatory action research is a tool for marginalized populations, like LGBTQQ youth, to understand their community and create positive change. Youth designed Climate Survey (RYCS) for Ann Arbor Public Schools to bring to light the realities of students within hallways, classrooms and parking lots. Existing climate surveys were not specific to Ann Arbor, did not thoroughly research attitudes regarding gender identity and gender expression, and did not factor in issues of multiple intersecting identities such as race, ethnicity and religion into their products. The LGBTQQ and allied (A) teens in Riot Youth wanted data to unify their experiences and prove their difficulties were not isolated incidents in order to create change.

Read the full report (3.5mb)

Riot Youth is a LGBTQ youth program at Neutral Zone that fosters a safe social space and opportunity to organize for positive community change. Riot Youth is supported by Arcus Gay and Lesbian Fund, Liberty Hill’s Queer Youth Fund, and University of Michigan Arts of Citizenship.