Title	REMEMBER THE RAINBOW
Brand	BELONG TO YOUTH SERVICES, IRELAND.
Product/Service	BELONG TO YOUTH SERVICES LGBTI+ YOUNG PEOPLE IN IRELAND.
Category	G04. Social Behaviour
Entrant	IN THE COMPANY OF HUSKIES Dublin, IRELAND
Idea Creation	IN THE COMPANY OF HUSKIES Dublin, IRELAND
PR	IN THE COMPANY OF HUSKIES Dublin, IRELAND
Production	IN THE COMPANY OF HUSKIES Dublin, IRELAND
Post Production	IN THE COMPANY OF HUSKIES Dublin, IRELAND
Additional Company	BELONG TO YOUTH SERVICES Dublin, IRELAND

Name	Company	Position
damian Hanley	in the company of huskies	Creative Director
Gavin Feiritéar	in the company of huskies	Designer
Chris Flynn	in the company of huskies	Designer
Emily Blaney	in the company of huskies	Designer
Fiona Cunniffe	in the company of huskies	Senior Account Manager
Jane Fortune	in the company of huskies	Head of PR
Brian Daly	in the company of huskies	Head of production
Greg McGloughlan	in the company of huskies	Copywriter
John Mathews	in the company of huskies	Finance Director

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Every child deserves to feel safe, especially at school. Yet the reality is many LGBTI+ students feel school is an isolating, unsafe place. Irish Charity ‘Belong To Youth Services’ recent research highlighted that 73% of LGBTI children still feel unsafe at school. Homophobic bullying often starts early. To create a school culture that celebrates diversity, we targeted primary school teachers and gave them a simple method to teach young kids about the importance of tolerance. For decades teachers used the mnemonic Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain to teach kids the seven colours of the rainbow. We reinvented how kids remember the colours in the spirit of what the rainbow stands for with a new mnemonic - Respect Others. You Grow By Including Variety. Our initiative is now an official Irish teaching resource. It has been adopted by many schools and endorsed ScoilNet, Ireland’s Department of Education’s official portal.

Background

Irish Charity 'Belong To Youth Services' recent research highlighted that 73% of LGBTI children still feel unsafe at school. More than a third reported being shoved or pushed because of their sexual orientation, while over one in 10 reported being punched, kicked, or injured. Homophobic bullying occurs in every area of life but it starts in school & the playground. Commenting on the research Professor Oren Pizmony-Levy of Columbia University says: “As countries make progress with LGBT+ rights, we need to pay attention to schools where the next generation is learning to lead us toward a more equitable and inclusive world.”

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

We wanted to help the next generation become agents of change from the age they become aware of differences. Our idea was to create an initiative that celebrates diversity and would have a lasting influence on pupils’ attitudes from junior infants upwards. In every classroom, there is a picture of a rainbow and for decades teachers have been teaching kids the colours of the rainbow usually with the rather gruesome mnemonic Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. We felt it was time to reinvent how kids remember the colours in the spirit of what the rainbow stands for. We developed a new mnemonic to help kids memorize the seven colours – Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet – Respect Others. You Grow By Including Variety. Now that picture of a rainbow in every classroom has become an instrument to spread a positive message of tolerance and inclusion.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We wanted to help the next generation become agents of change from the age they become aware of differences. Our idea was to create an initiative that celebrates diversity and would have a lasting influence on pupils’ attitudes from junior infants upwards. In every classroom, there is a picture of a rainbow and for decades teachers have been teaching kids the colours of the rainbow usually with the rather gruesome mnemonic Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. We felt it was time to reinvent how kids remember the colours in the spirit of what the rainbow stands for. We developed a new mnemonic to help kids memorize the seven colours – Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet – Respect Others. You Grow By Including Variety. Now that picture of a rainbow in every classroom has become an instrument to spread a positive message of tolerance and inclusion.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We developed a two-minute educational video called The Colours Who Didn’t Want to Mix. The animated film tells the story of how things didn’t go well for the colours when they stayed apart, but in the end, they came together and created one of the most beautiful things in the world – a rainbow. To help it be adopted by schools we created a website with school worksheets and teaching guide. It was a challenge to launch it during the pandemic with all the schools closed and even pride marches canceled. With no budget, we launched it during Pride week knowing our success was very reliant on engagement with social media and educational groups as well as the LGBTI community. We achieved our goal of getting it endorsed by the Irish National Teachers organisation and listed by the Department of Education as an official resource.

List the results (30% of vote)

With practically a zero budget, we reached a domestic and overseas audience of over 5 million people (coming from a country with a population of less than 4.9 million). It was broadcast on our national RTE’s school hub and it is on BBC Teach – the UK hub for teachers and schools. It was shared by Government Ministers, including Minister for Education and Minister for Culture. Other influential groups in encouraging equality, such as Educate Together and ISPCC shared the campaign. It has even been put on Ireland's Department of Education’s official portal for Irish education. We also got coverage in the USA, Latin America, Australia, and the UK delivering global awareness for the initiative and the charity Belong To. Remember the Rainbow is now an official Irish teaching resource that we hope will help foster a kinder and more empathic culture in schools and society.

Please tell us about the social behaviour that inspired the work

Every child, regardless of race, gender, wealth, or birthplace, deserves to feel safe. The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises that all children must be treated equally and with dignity. Yet the reality is that for many LGBTI+ students, school is an isolating, unsafe place. The LGBTI community has seen progress in the last few decades including the Irish vote for marriage equality and many assumed this translated into an improved school environment for LGBTI students. Belong To's research highlighted that Irish LGBTI pupils were still victimised. This is consistent with international research that shows the challenges faced by LGBTI students, which can have a long term impact with potentially tragic consequences. Kids become aware of differences at about 7/8 years old and according to psychologists, this is a good time to intervene before their values become ingrained. Often bullying at this young age is rooted in a lack of respect for differences. Creating a school culture that celebrates diversity is key and many of the tools for teachers to address this are targeted at secondary school students. We wanted to give primary school teachers a simple way to tell young kids about the importance of tolerance.