The National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE) is a gathering place for ideas, people and resources with a focus on regional, rural and remote Australia.
NICHE stands back from the issues, initiatives and individuals and maps what’s working, what’s not and what’s missing.
Daniel Witthaus outline’s NICHE’s agenda here:
www.thestirrer.com.au/my-niche-agenda-daniel-witthaus/ (cut & paste into browser if error message)
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1. Tour Of Regional, Rural & Remote Australia
2. Current Projects (2013) – Get Involved!
3. Launch of NICHE
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Daniel to Visit Regional, Rural and Remote Communities Again in 2013
At the launch of NICHE, Daniel announced he wanted five regional, rural and/or remote Australian communities to apply for him to spend a week in their community helping them find better ways to challenge homophobia and support local LGBTI people. Daniel’s time for these five weeks will be free.
Three communities have successfully applied and will get a week of NICHE in their regional, rural or remote community: Mt Isa (QLD), rural Tasmania and Bunbury (WA).
Mt Isa’s Christie Green Williams (PFLAG): ”It’s hard living in a remote place. Support for the LGBTI community and homophobia in North West Queensland is so bad and that needs to change. This community has been hidden for far too long and it needs to come out of the copper closet. The man in the white hat needs to know that this is a part of his electorate and it is his responsibility to change his attitude and support for this part of his electorate. NICHE coming to Mount Isa will show the mainstream community and the rest of Australia that there is an LGBTI community & people who live here and they want equality.”
Tasmania’s Rodney Croome (Australian Marriage Equality): “In recent years Tasmania has progressed in leaps and bounds when it comes to challenging homophobia. But much of this progress has been in the area of laws and policies, not on-the-ground programs. Now that the legal and policy framework is in place Tasmania needs projects like NICHE to help fill the gap. I’m confident NICHE will engage teachers and others in a conversation about how to effectively challenge homophobia. I also have no doubt NICHE will instill in those who work with young people the confidence and skills they need to put an end to prejudice.”
Bunbury’s Helen Robinson (True Colours): “The Safer Schools Project are really looking forward to NICHE coming to Bunbury as we are well that homophobia is still experienced by our young people in schools and the wider community of Bunbury. Daniel’s knowledge and expertise would be harnessed through school visits and workshops, several opportunities to ‘have a cuppa’ with the community. We are also working with the Equal Opportunities Commission to host an event in Perth to announce the NICHE Tour. We are hoping that Daniel can provide the extra momentum for our program to really take hold in Bunbury and create further awareness of the need for safer schools.”
Daniel is happy to go to new places, or return to those places he visited during the original Beyond ‘That’s So Gay’ Tour.
Contact Daniel if you think your community could benefit from a week-long NICHE visit: niche@thatssogay.com.au.
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Current Projects (2013) – Get Involved!
At the time of writing, NICHE is operating with limited resources. There are currently five projects in progress. If you can help, please e-mail: niche@thatssogay.com.au
1. A competition for five regional, rural and remote Australian communities to apply for Daniel to spend a week in their community helping them find better ways to challenge homophobia and support local LGBTI people.
2. A call for local regional, rural and remote areas to map their own communities for their LGBTI Inclusiveness.
3. A library of LGBTI stories from regional, rural and remote communities to highlight the good, the bad and the ugly, and help us plan for the future [to be launched May 17th, 2013, IDAHO: International Day Against Homophobia].
4. The world’s first LGBTI TEDx event (to be confirmed, currently being considered).
5. A National Challenging Homophobia Roundtable of mainstream, philanthropic and LGBTI organisations and individuals.
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NICHE Launch
On Sunday 20th January 2013, as part of the Midsumma Festival, Daniel Witthaus launched the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE). In his speech Daniel explained that NICHE builds on his many years working in regional, rural and remote Australia. Those communities regularly said it was “about bloody time” that they are included in national conversations about how to create safer communities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.
(for Daniel’s NICHE Agenda, see here:
www.thestirrer.com.au/my-niche-agenda-daniel-witthaus/ )
With the atmospheric setting of Hares and Hyenas Bookshop and a crowd of around 110 people, Rodney Croome followed Daniel’s speech to officially launched the new initiative. He observed that Australia is ready for NICHE and a national conversation in ways it was not ready only 18 months ago. Rodney added that there was no-one better placed in Australia to build NICHE than Daniel.
Thanks to Christian Bürkle for this image.
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