Geoffrey is one of our newest team members at Rainbow Families and is heading up the Youth Council that currently operates out of Summer Hill. Geoffrey is a fantastic addition to our team and is a high school teacher in Sydney. So far, Geoffrey and the young people have done a drama class, an embroidery class and a pottery class, so there’s plenty of variety.
Geoffrey’s favourite things to do:
- I’m a big reader.
- I love to exercise.
- I’m definitely a movie buff.
- Big AFL fan!
“I grew up in Nowra on the South Coast and when I finished uni, I got a job teaching in Campbelltown. I now teach in a Sydney high school in the city. I teach humanities like Geography, History and Society and Culture.
My work also focuses on teacher wellbeing and currently student leadership.”
Three months in, Geoffrey talks about the benefits of being part of the Youth Council.
“It’s so fulfilling, I was stoked when I got the role. It’s such an important little group because it’s all about building warm connections and community with other children from Rainbow Families. It gives the kids an opportunity to share their experiences and it’s a safe space where they feel comfortable to have conversations they may not have with some of their other friends, because it might feel awkward, or their peers might not relate to their experience.
So, it’s really nice that they can drop their guard a little bit.
“Growing up as a young queer person, I think it’s really important that we make these kinds of spaces where young people can meet with like-minded people and share their life and their story and enjoy each other’s company.”
“Being a teacher now, it's so lovely to see the difference in acceptance and even the conversations that are occurring in the schools and within the staff. I think it's so different to my experience where I didn't have any clear role models growing up, it was just something that didn't even exist in my world, which is something that you struggle with as a young person. Now I see so many role models and there's so many queer kids that are open about their identity as they’re growing up and I think that's fantastic.”
GET INVOLVED!
Connecting our young people - raising each other up, having each other's backs.
Little Rainbows is open to the younger 10-12 age group, and offers an opportunity for social connection and age appropriate activities.
Youth Council (or the “YAC”) is attended by older cohorts of 13-17 year olds, where they develop projects and initiatives for young people and young adults in the community, and work to raise the profile of Rainbow Families amongst younger audiences. Older members also carry out the very important role of mentoring our younger members. Each group meets twice a month over food and fun activities. Both the YAC and Little Rainbows give members an opportunity to forge friendships, develop new skills and build a strong and articulate next generation. Typically, each meet-up will begin with a more formal meeting to discuss projects and future events, followed by a group activity and light dinner (pizza).
How do we join?
The Youth Council is open to any child or young person who is part of the Rainbow Families community. You will need to fill in our Registration Form and make contact with Geoffrey ahead of dropping in to your first session to get acquainted and provide us with important info to help organise catering and activities.