“Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”
-Will Durant

Jer’s Vision, Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative, is making its way to Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer. In light of the recent GLBTQ suicides that have been publicized on a global scale, this organization could not have arrived at a better time. Jer’s Vision supports and encourages youth to end discrimination in their schools and in their community.

Jeremy Dias, Founder and Director of Jer’s Vision, is excited about his visit to his native Alberta. “It is so important to educate in Alberta. The province is unique in that it is one of the only remaining conservative provinces. Alberta is suffocating its students.”

This particular leg of Jer’s vision will demonstrate one of its many initiatives to address discrimination and promote diversity. At least 4000 students and 6000 teachers in Alberta will be privy to Jer’s Vision’s Motivational Address at high schools across the province. There will be a customized workshop for teachers on LGBTQ and Trans issues, as well as tools to fight discrimination and promote diversity.

Jer’s Motivational Address will open up the dialogue for teachers and students alike, and will also highlight Jeremy’s own experiences with homophobia and racism in high school. Dias spent most of his young life in Edmonton, Alberta. In Grade 10 he moved to Sault Ste. Marie, where he attended Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School. While in high school, Jeremy was no stranger to advocacy and volunteerism. He started a Stop Racism club, and Ontario Students against Impaired Driving Club, and founded the first LGBTQ group in Sault Ste. Marie.

At this time Dias says he tried to establish a gay and lesbian program and social group, for awareness and education, “however the administration kept opposing it.” He approached the principal, the board’s director of education and superintendent, and wrote to the Minister of Education. The only response he got was from the board’s superintendent, Carole McPhee: “The board does not permit the posting of material advocating any special lifestyle in classrooms or hallways.”

By the end of his high school career, Jeremy Dias filed a human rights complaint against the school board to The Human Rights Commission. He settled out of court, and used his settlement to create Jer’s Vision.

Since then, Jeremy Dias has become a household name. He has appeared on Canada AM, Much Music, CTV News, Global News, and CBC News. He was nominated for a Teen Choice Award, and was a Grand Marshall in Vancouver’s Pride Parade. Perhaps most importantly, he has travelled Canada, promoting inclusiveness and diversity.

“I am very honored to be a part of this social change,” says Dias. “It is so important for students and teachers to get involved, and act as catalysts to promote diversity.”

Jeremy is coming to Alberta with hopes of students and teachers passing on the word. “We are really reaching out to small communities that have never been exposed to gay issues before. We are hoping that this starts a dialogue, and they create communities of their own that promote diversity.”

Throughout its tenure, Jer’s Vision has created an open dialogue amongst thousands of students and teachers. “We constantly get emails from kids telling us their stories. Not only from gay kids, but straight kids as well! In fact we just received word that a football team in a high school we spoke to organized a same sex prom!”

Bullying is still a huge problem in North America and around the world. The recent string of documented suicides in the United States, as a result of homophobic bullying, has struck a chords with celebrities, the media, and the general population. Bullying is nothing new, yet in the new form of Cyber-bullying, it has become centre stage in the fight for acceptance.

Suicide is the number one cause of death for sexual minorities in North America, according the Government of Alberta. Statistics Canada estimates that LGBTQ youth and adults will experience higher rates of violence including sexual assault, robbery, and physical assault - and rates of discrimination three times higher than heterosexuals.

Jer’s Vision will no doubt have a positive impact on these statistics.

Dias encourages all of us to check out his website for more information. “Take a look and see how you can get involved.” There are numerous ways to volunteer, donate, and participate in the scholarships and awards that they offer.

According to the Jer’s Vision mandate, “Not only are we youth led, but we also take an inclusive approach to diversity. This means we look at different forms of discrimination (homophobia, sexism, racism, [etc]) in parallel, and through their intersections (ex. How sexism and racism affects a woman of colour). We are also unique because our programming reaches out not just to marginalized/minority populations, but also to the general population (ex. Educating straight people on homophobia), thereby engaging them in talking a proactive role in preventing discrimination by promoting diversity themselves.”

At the end of Jeremy’s conversation with GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine, he was excited to tell a story of how this process has affected him personally, and how Alberta played a huge part in it. “When I was 17, I came out to my Dad. It did not go well. While living with him, it got so bad that I was kicked out of his house. We stopped talking for 8 years.”

“Three years ago I was doing a talk in Lethbridge, and had lunch with my Dad after. That Christmas I got a Christmas card from him for the first time. We were slowly starting to rebuild a relationship. Right after Christmas he had a stroke and nearly died. I flew to Edmonton, and stayed with him while he recovered. After he recovered my Dad came to an event I was hosting in Edmonton. The press was there, and a news camera discovered that he was there and asked him a few questions. When asked what they thought of his gay son, he said that he was so proud, really proud of his gay son.”

“Last April I was in Edmonton to facilitate some workshops. My Dad asked me to stay with him. It was some trepidation that I did. We actually had an amazing time together. He drove me to all of my workshops which freed up some of my budget, allowing me to speak at even more schools. He came to my workshops, and we are now stronger than ever.”

For a person that just “wants to give back,” Jeremy Dias has done this and so much more. As Harvey Milk stated, “all young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.” Jeremy Dias is doing just that, and opening Canada’s eyes to a life embracing diversity.