Missions & Endeavors

'Work It Out' at www.onmyplanet.ca

• Inspirational
• Courageous
• Relevant

'Work It Out' is an online therapeutic workbook that targets homophobia and sexual prejudice. It is totally accessible and available to the public free of charge. Fuel from this RocketHub Campaign will go toward the development of the workbook: Toward the  consulting Psychologist and the Creator of www.onmyplanet.ca and the 'Work It Out' workbook, Lulu Laru.

Although the leading hypotheses about hate crime perpetrators are varied, the prevention methods all include education that cultivates familiarity and sensitivity toward the victimized group, personalizing the perpetrators' experiences of that group and its individuals.

(Youth Hate Crimes, Steinberg, Brooks & Remtulla, American Psychiatric Assoc., 2003)

'Work It Out' will be housed within www.onmyplanet.ca an LGBTQ positive website that is part online queer community centre, part mainstream educational project and home to The Queer Story Archive. Onmyplanet.ca's goal is to rid the world of homophobia and sexual prejudice. Far-fetched, sure, but…research has shown that the more familiar someone is with the queer community the less likely they are to experience homophobia or to act on their feelings of sexual prejudice.

The basic premise of The Queer Story Archive is to compile as many queer stories as possible in an accessible place - a place where queer people can find familiar and supportive people and get some queer history first hand; a place where the rest of the world can encounter an incredibly diverse cross-section of our LGBTQ communities and get to know us better.

"...homophobic bullying is neither rare nor harmless but a major problem that needs to be addressed...a great deal of verbal and physical homophobic harassment goes on in Canadian schools..." (Egale Canada Nation Climate Survey on Homophobia, 2009)

'Work It Out' In Action

The 'Work It Out' user is first asked to examine their feelings toward people of sexual minorities in order to determine the extent of the user's homophobia. The user's responses will direct the progression of the questions and the selection of content to be presented. If, for example, based on their responses, the user is found to harbour negative feelings or reports discriminatory or violent behaviors toward LGBTQ people, the user will be guided through an informal, educational and therapeutic sequence geared toward deescalating homophobia using content that is pertinent to their individual responses.

The content of 'Work It Out' utilizes information from a wide range of sources and presents the user with article excerpts, statistics, culturally diverse situational challenges, legal information and a number of segments from The Queer Story Archive at onmyplanet.ca.

Conversely, the user may also be guided to a positive action sequence. Using video segments, articles, statistics, etc., the user will learn how to create awareness and educate others around these issues. With the goal of reducing violence and discrimination in their own community the user will gain understanding of constructive and non-violent methods. Utilizing links to other individuals and organizations the user may observe the positive practices of other LGBTQ people on a global scale - an enlightening and empowering experience.

The therapeutic model of 'Work It Out' is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  In order to change homophobic behaviour one must first identify the negative emotions and behaviours that sustain them. By examining the thought processes and beliefs that perpetuate negative feelings and behaviour, one works toward the goal of eliminating them and replacing them with more positive and constructive ones. For more information on CBT see:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy

The communicative approach to 'Work It Out' will be one of full disclosure.  Challenging and direct questions using straightforward language promote trust and an atmosphere of total honesty.  A frank and upfront manner supports a respectful, nonjudgmental situation and encourages an honest exchange.

The 'Work It Out' Workbook is easily accessible and offered free of charge. Users won't need to be in urban centers to complete the workbook nor will they need to pay a fee or leave a billing trail. The level of privacy offered by an online workbook is a vast improvement from a social or classroom situation. The confidential nature of interacting with the 'Work It Out' Workbook promotes honesty of responses both within the workbook and to oneself. The relative privacy also alleviates the peer pressure toward negative behaviour, increasing the user's potential for empathy and sensitization. Honesty and the ability to empathize are essential for the user to learn and to make positive change.

The user will have the opportunity to complete the workbook session anonymously or to store their personal 'Work It Out' file and return to it at a later date through a free, membership/login system.  Online discussion will be encouraged in a moderated forum.  Participants will also be encouraged to re-do 'Work It Out' multiple times - as the user's views and responses change so will their workbook experience.

I encourage you to visit onmyplanet.ca and see our Queer Story Archive. The archive was launched in conjunction with the Rocket Hub fundraising campaign and is growing quickly.  Join our mailing list or "like" us on facebook.  We'll give you a little nudge to go see the new videos as they go up on the site.

There are a number of organizations out there that provide services and support for LGBTQ people, all necessary and worthy practices. What is not present in this milieu however, is an online educational, curative service for the homophobic, a service the 'Work It Out' Workbook will provide and something that will benefit everyone concerned.  It is my hope that you will appreciate this project as much as I do, that you value your queer community enough to help make a change.  Help onmyplanet.ca change your reality. Please give generously.

More About LGBTQ In BC Education

Although Canada is among the handful of countries in the world to include sexual orientation in their human rights laws, (2003) it is common knowledge that the day-to-day realities of people in sexual minorities are far from 'equal' to that of their heterosexual counterparts. Youth and young adults are in a particularly vulnerable position, in that, they are in the midst of discovering their own gender and sexual identities and consequently unveiling the colossal impact those discoveries have on their roles in society.  Although the 'Work It Out' Workbook is not exclusively directed at youth and young adults, we acknowledged that it is particularly important at this point in their development to have access to a safe, informative and unbiased place to explore these topics - the 'Work It Out' Workbook.

In response to the Corren Settlement in 2006, the British Columbia Ministry of Education, introduced the 'Social Justice 12' program into the public secondary school system in 2008. Sadly, and contrary to the intent of the original human rights claim and settlement, the structure of the course is such that the sexual orientation and gender issues content can largely be avoided even after choosing the course as an elective.

Though many organizations are actively calling on the Ministry of Education to include sexual orientation and gender issues in the scope of secondary school curricula, they are still sorely lacking from the educational system. The 'Work It Out' Workbook addresses the gap left between law and daily experience and will present it in a venue that is independent of the public school system. 

For more about the Correns Human Rights Claim see the following articles:

From Xtra Magazine:

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/Peter_Corren

Wiki article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_Murray_Corren

About Rockethub:

1. RocketHub is not an investment or charity. It is an exchange: funds from fans for rewards from me.
2. It's an All & More funding mechanism: if I don't reach my financial goal I get to keep what I raise. But if I do reach my goal, I get access to exciting opportunities.