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Rainbow Youth Club

Ms J Lach —

There’s been an increase in the amount of interest in our Rainbow Youth club over the past couple of years, and many people have been asking about who we are and what we do every week. So we thought we’d send out a message to tell our school community a bit more about us.

There’s been an increase in the amount of interest in our Rainbow Youth club over the past couple of years, and many people have been asking about who we are and what we do every week. So we thought we’d send out a message to tell our school community a bit more about us.

We are called ‘Rainbow Youth’ because the term ‘rainbow’ refers to the LGBTQ+ community, and we are youth committed to supporting a better future for this group of people.

Rainbow Youth is a group of students who:

  • are interested in matters surrounding LGBTQ+ issues and inclusivity.
  • take action against any discrimination or violation of human rights against LGBTQ+ youth.
  • raise money for charities that aim to support at risk LGBTQ+ youth in Aotearoa.
  • raise awareness of the issues affecting the wellbeing and inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth.
  • get involved in advocacy campaigns to raise awareness of rainbow issues.
  • support one another, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
  • enjoy a fun, inclusive learning environment.
  • can be openly gender diverse or ‘rainbow’, but can also be non-rainbow allies who support their rainbow friends or students who do not wish to disclose their orientation.
  • like spending time with other supportive people.

Rainbow Youth does NOT:

  • tell people how to act, feel or behave
  • discriminate or judge others
  • force anyone to disclose their sexual orientation or gender preferences

In short, we are all about aroha, respect, manaakitanga, and inclusivity. We make it our mission to ensure that everyone feels valued no matter what their identity.

Rainbow Youth is open to all students from years 7-13, and we normally have weekly meetings during Wednesday lunch time.

For more information, feel free to contact Ms Lach at jessicalach@columbacollege.school.nz