Day of silence (collège)Cours d’anglais

Aux Etats-Unis, le 23 janvier est le jour du "National Day of Silence",(le jour du silence) un moment qui rassemble des centaines d’étudiants pour demander aux autorités scolaires d’agir afin d’éduquer les camarades de classe sur les effets néfastes des préjugés anti-gays/lesbiennes/bisexuels et anti-"transgenres" , et d’exiger l’adoption d’un loi "anti-discrimination" incluant les personnes LGBT. C’est une journée de prise de parole d’une jeunesse qui refuse la loi du silence sur l’homosexualité dans les écoles. Plus d’infos sur cette manifestation américaine : www.dayofssilence.org Ne pourrions nous pas suivre cette initiative en France ?

National Day of Silence : En 1997, une centaine d’étudiants prenaient part à cet évènement qui protestait contre le silence sur l’homophobie. Les manifestants ( de toutes orientations sexuelles) font un vœu de silence de neuf heures durant et distribuent des cartes explicatives au lieu de discuter avec leurs amis, camarades de classe ou professeurs. Cette manifestation organisée et médiatisée s’avère un succès pour édifier une nouvelle conscience sur les sujets de l’homosexualité... Après ces heures de silence, beaucoup de dialogues s’établissent au sujet de la nature de ce silence et sur les racines de l’homophobie.

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In 1997, students at over one hundred high schools and colleges took part in this event, which protests the silence created by homophobia. On the NDOS National Day Of Silence, participants off all sexual orientations take a vow of silence for 9 hours, handing out explanatory cards instead of speaking to friends, classmates, and professors. This organized, visible silence has proven very successful in raising awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) issues. After the silence hours, much dialogue goes on about the nature of silencing and the roots of homophobia. For more information about the National Day of Silence see the web site : http://www.dayofsilence.org

What are you going to do to end the silence ?

January 23, 2002 The Day of Silence Project Organizing Manual On behalf of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the United States Student Association (USSA) and the thousands of students whose leadership and participation have created the Day of Silence project, we’d like to thank you for your interest and involvement. With your help, the Day of Silence will continue to flourish as the largest youth-run action on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in the country.

"January 23, 2002 : The Day of Silence, which protests the discrimination and harassment faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, is the largest LGBT youth action in the country. This manual will supply everything you need to make it happen in your school.

We have filled this manual with many ideas and tips to make your Day of Silence as effective as possible. Here, you’ll find information on everything from fundraising and publicity to the nuts-and-bolts of getting your classmates, teachers and administration on board. Getting your school’s administration to support your effort is particularly critical for high school organizers, but we’ve also identified alternative ways to participate if administrative support isn’t likely. Also, there’s information targeted both for high school and university organizing efforts (though we’ve even heard about middle school students organizing for the Day !), as well as plenty of suggestions that work in both settings.

We encourage you to use this manual in whatever way works best for you - you may pull ideas from a single section or take all in from cover to cover. The website, www.dayofsilence.org, is another useful resource. We also encourage you to bring your own ideas and creativity to the table, so that your school’s Day of Silence becomes something unique and works best for your particular school community.

Welcome aboard, and happy organizing !

In 1996, then 18-year-old student Maria Pulzetti first conceived of the Day of Silence, after writing a paper on non-violent protest and grassroots organizing. In the seven years since, the project has since grown into a national effort involving hundreds of groups and thousands of students in both high schools and colleges around the country. From the first-ever Day of Silence at the University of Virginia in 1996, to the more recent organizing of the project at Lake Orion High School (Lake Orion, Michigan) last year, its textured history reflects its diversity in both numbers and reach. Here’s a brief history.

1996 - The Day of Silence is born. Students organized the first Day of Silence, it’s original name, at the University of Virginia. With over 150 students participating, those involved felt it was a great success. The Day of Silence received extensive local press coverage and a positive response from the UVA community members, motivating Maria Pulzetti to take the Day of Silence nationally.

1997 - From one, to one hundred, National Day of Silence takes off With a web page and much dedication, Pulzetti and then 19-year-old Jessie Gilliam, developed the project to be used in schools across the country. It was renamed the National Day of Silence, and that year nearly 100 colleges and universities participated. Some schools in Australia heard about the project and modeled a similar day for Australian schools.

1998 - The day keeps growing, the project begins Pulzetti and Gilliam realized they couldn’t expand the National Day of Silence alone, so they organized a team of regional coordinators who could assist schools better by working with and understanding local networks. Expanding from a one-day vow of silence to include additional actions and educational events, the Day of Silence Project was officially inaugurated. That year, for the first time in a recognized number, students in high schools joined the organizing efforts, helping double the number of participating schools to over 200.

1999-2001 - More people, more time, a message of unity sets in Through the sponsorship of Advocates for Youth, Gilliam worked part-time over the summer of 1999 to maintain and expand the Day of Silence Project. A first in the project’s history, a team of volunteers met for a weekend in Boston to discuss strategy and develop future plans towards assisting schools. The Day of Silence Project continued to support high schools, colleges and universities around the country with volunteers led by then 18-year-old Chloe Palenchar, as the National Project Coordinator. Over 300 high schools participated that year.

2001 - Current - Day of Silence Project ; still growing, still strong Chris Tuttle, GLSEN’s National Student Organizer, Gilliam and Palenchar developed a proposal to provide the Day of Silence Project with new funding, staff, volunteers and an official organizational sponsor, GLSEN. To ensure its success, GLSEN developed a first-ever Day of Silence Project Advisory Board (which includes Pulzetti, Gilliam and Palenchar) to help build upon past successes, a Leadership Team of students to support high school organizers around the country and a partnership with the United States Student Association, to ensure colleges and universities receive equal support.

Today - The possibilities are endless Just imagine : thousands of students, from San Francisco, California to Irmo, South Carolina, united in a visible silence to create real change in local schools . Whether used to educate classmates on the damaging effects of anti-LGBT bias or to demand passage of a statewide nondiscriminatory act inclusive of LGBT people, the Day of Silence Project is an awesome opporunity to create more inclusvie school environments and make some noise.

What are you going to do to end the silence ? "Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence ?" - Quote from "speaking cards" passed out by participants during the Day of Silence.

For too long, the silencing of LGBT people and their allies has been the norm. Whether it’s the lack of LGBT-inclusive material in educational resources, or role assignments based upon our assumed gender, such silence and silencing affects us all in a profound way.

Just as profound, however, can be the use of silence as a form of protest. The Day of Silence moves the power of these personal experiences to a community-focused effort. The Day of Silence is a way of turning silence on its head, of reclaiming silence as a tool.

The Day of Silence institutes a visible silence, a silence during which participants protest anti-LGBT discrimination and abuse. Such an effort also allows us to reflect upon how powerful silencing can be, to focus on how we can make our own voices stronger and to begin to stop silencing ourselves.

It’s great to hear you’re interested in getting involved with the Day of Silence Project !

The first thing to do is register ! "Why," you ask ? Because ;

It’s the number one way to stay on top of what’s going on, Have your College, Middle or High School listed as an official Day of Silence Project Participant, Students in Middle and High Schools get a free Day of Silence Organizing Manual in the mail, Receive information about new resources, news, and networking opportunities as they become available, Learn about possible trainings in your area, and Get chances to receive free Day of Silence Products (like t-shirts, stickers and pens) ! Are you ready yet ? Click the appropriate button to register online today !

– Web site :www.dayofssilence.org

Homophobie : Spot Day Of Silence by GayClic

– Vocabulary :

– Questions and discussion :

– Exercice de traduction et réinvestissement lexical :

États-Unis : Journée du silence dans les établissements scolaires pour protester contre l’homophobie... Environ 200000 élèves et enseignants répartis dans 2000 établissements scolaires devaient observer mercredi 9 avril une journée de silence pour protester contre les discriminations et le harcèlement qui poussent les élèves LGBT à vivre dans le placard. Cette journée organisée à l’initiative de deux associations d’élèves (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network -GLSEN- et United States Student Association -USSA) depuis 1996 avait mobilisé 150000 élèves et enseignants en 2002. Le parlementaire démocrate Eliot Engel a introduit une résolution pour que le Congrès reconnaisse cette journée à l’échelle nationale. Trois gouverneurs (Californie, Michigan et Connecticut) ont officiellement reconnu cette journée. Dans un rapport publié en 2001, l’association GLSEN relevait que 4 élèves LGBT sur 5 avaient été victime de harcèlement physique ou verbal. Les groupes conservateurs demandent aux parents de réagir en organisant une "journée de la famille" et n’envoyant pas leurs enfants à l’école pour cette journée. (source : tetu.com)