Inspired by our Steps of Pride and Steps of Strength keynote speaker series we bring you Steps of Hope!
How to Make Your Curriculum More Black - OUT NOW
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How to Make Your Curriculum More Black - OUT NOW ✊🏾
STEPS OF HOPE
On June 2024, we officially launched our new in-person speaker series, Steps of Hope! Steps of Hope is the evolution of Steps of Strength and Steps of Pride, which brings forward keynotes focused on celebrating inspiring people fighting against 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination, racism and racial barriers, and pushing for social change and support for marginalized communities.
HIRING OPPORTUNITY
STEPS OF HOPE 2025
We are looking for 2SLGBTQ+, BIPoC, marginalized individuals in/around the Greater Toronto Area who would want to work with our team to develop and deliver an inspiring in-person keynote!
Watch our previous keynotes:
Previous keynotes touch on:
• Mental Health
• Sexuality, Race, Hospitality
• Queer x Intersections
• Black Sports Legend - Fred Thomas
Steps of Hope
Previous keynotes touch on:
• Combatting Stereotypes on Black folks
• Antisemitism
• Black Representation
• Implementing Black voices into your curriculum
Steps of Strength
Previous keynotes touch on:
• Coming out
• Trans Athletes in Sports
• Pansexuality
• Queer Solidarity Worldwide
• Queer x Pandemic
• Bisexuality
• Queer x Faith
• Queer x Parenting
• Queerness x Intergernerational Trauma
• Queer x Intersections
• Drag x Education
• Queerness x Mental Health
• Closeted Experience
• Diverse Queer Representation
Steps of Pride
STEPS OF HOPE 2024
OUR 2024 SPEAKERS
“Celebrating Trans Joy as an Act of Resistance”
JONAS KHAYAT-STARK
Jonas is a Get REAL speaker and full-time team member. Jonas will help us unpack how misinformation strikes the most ignorance and fear as it pertains to discrimination in the Trans community and enlightens with the realities of Trans joy.
JAMID SEPULVEDA
Jamid is a journalist and social communicator who will transport us into his life growing up as an Indigene Colombian in a totally heterosexual community to starting his life again in Canada. Jamid will share the struggle, the resources and the community that he found during his journey to get him to who he is today.
“Who am I” / “ Quien Soy “
“Living Proof - A tribute to one of the best athletes Canada has ever seen, but you’ve never heard of”
GARRISON THOMAS
Garrison is a Get REAL speaker, an educator, a sports mentor for youth and the grandson of Fred Thomas. Garrison invites us to learn about his grandfather, Fred Thomas, “Canada’s forgotten legend” and one of the greatest multi-sport professional athletes, his journey as a bi-racial man and the impact his grandfather has had on him.
LIV MILLER
“What I Learned (& had to learn) From Becoming A Mental Health Advocate at 18”
Liv has been a Mental Health advocate since she was 18 and will lead us through their experiences with learning about compassionate leadership, being vulnerable, and eventually feeling comfortable coming out in her small-town community and learning how to be themself as an ongoing process.
JABY DAYLE
“OMG Remember the Black Squares: Hospitality and the Death of DEI”
Jaby is a hospitality professional who will guide us through the exploration of the rise and fall of DEI initiatives through the lens of their Black queer experience of over 20 years in the hospitality industry. Jaby will focus on the pre and post 2020 world of DEI using a template we can all relate to: food and drink.
STEPS OF STRENGTH
Our Steps of Strength Virtual Speaker Series brings forward inspiring keynotes focused around celebrating inspiring people fighting against racism and racial barriers, and pushing for social change and support for marginalized communities.
"Three Ways To Make Your Curriculum More Black” -Veronique Russell
"Combatting the idea of an uneducated Black person" - Latanya Farquharson
"Representation Matters: How 3 educators influenced my career path" - Clem Moudiongui
“I am Proud to be Jewish” - Hannah Alper
STEPS OF PRIDE
Steps of Pride is where our Speaker Series began. Step of Pride brings forward inspiring keynotes focused on celebrating inspiring people fighting against 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination and pushing for social change and support for marginalized communities.
"I Almost Went Straight Off the Edge Pretending to be Straight: Deconstructing Heteronormativity & Defeating Homophobia” - Kiona Osowski
“Queer Parents: Count Us In”
- Sophia Dhrolia
“Your Goalie looks like a man — Stories & Science Supporting Trans Athletes in Sports”
- Max Denley
“Learning about Pansexuality & Myself”
- Shannon Millward
“Reclaiming My Roots: Coming Out & Breaking the Cycle of Intergenerational Trauma”
- Rachael Berwald
"My Biggest Secret Changed My Life”
- Calvin Campos
"Queer Solidarity Across Boarders: A Call To Action" - Graham Robertson
“Who Needs To Change?” - Saidat
“I Didn’t Want To Disappoint My Dad” - Spencer
“Finding Your Voice, Finding Your Strength”
- D’Andrew
“Being Queer In A Pandemic” - Joseph
“Am I Queer Enough?” - Lydia
GET REAL WITH US
Learn more about our impact, events and merch!
We’ve reached over 1 million students and have created a variety of resources to help further education, representation and hope.
Learn about everything
we did in 2023!
Impact
Our events are a place to come together as a community to celebrate, learn, and inspire each other.
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Events
Merch
Our merchandise is a major fundraiser for our programs, supporting Black, 2SLGBTQ+, and marginalized youth and building allies in schools, camps, and workplaces.
Wear the merch, support the cause here!
We offer a variety of workshops aimed at cultivating inclusion, belonging and understanding within schools, and workplaces.
Learn more & Book here!