Gayby Baby creators release school toolkit

THE team behind the ground breaking documentary Gayby Baby have created their own unique toolkit to be used by teachers in schools to promote greater understanding of LGBTI families.

Gayby Baby – a film about the children of same-sex parents – was at the centre of a national storm of publicity in 2015 after the NSW State Government prevented it from being shown at state schools during school hours.

 The School Action Toolkit is a comprehensive resource which includes excerpts from the film and lesson activities that celebrate the diversity of the modern Australian family. The resource also includes ideas for teachers wishing to foster a more inclusive classroom environment, strategies for school leaders wishing to take steps to welcome diverse families at an executive and administrative level, and frequently asked questions regarding diverse family units. The broader aim of the Toolkit is to support all schools to foster a sense of belonging for all students and their families.

Gayby Baby director Maya Newell told Star Observer the release of the Toolkit felt like an appropriate bookend to last year’s controversy.

“We hope teachers and students can pick it up where we left off,” she said.

“I would encourage everyone to just have a look at it online and once you read it, you’ll see how it’s about wellbeing and maintaining respectful relationships.

“What’s great about it is that students and (school) principals can pick it up without feeling they are getting backlash from anyone.

The Gayby Baby team was one of seven successful documentaries in the inaugural Good Pitch program, which links documentaries to social outreach programs.

“If you look at even the past 20 years, the structures of families have changed a lot, the look of families has changed a lot,” Newell said.

“This a framework for teachers to have a better understanding of these structures.

“What it comes down to is that these are not really big changes to learning but it is the simple things that can make a big difference. Validation and acceptance can change things. When they (gayby babies) they see world reflected and it leads to greater understanding.”

Newell encourages everyone to have a look at and download the resource, whose first part is free to download.