Results in 2024

The National Ranking of LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools reached over 2,000 schools. In the national ranking, the first place was taken by the 1st Social Secondary School "Bednarska" from Warsaw, the second place was taken by the XXX Secondary School named after Jan Śniadecki from Warsaw, and the third one - the 3rd Secondary School with Bilingual Departments in Zabrze. The top 25 includes towns such as: Żywiec, Opole, Kielce, Rumia, Chojnice, Człuchów, Kędzierzyn-Koźle. 55% of the votes came from outside the 10 largest cities in Poland. The entire list can be found at https://lgbtplusme.com/ranking/pl.

The winning schools receive Trust Shields signed by Deputy Minister Paulina Piechna- Więckiewicz. School of Trust is the slogan of this year's edition of the project. This year, the ranking is held under the patronage of three state institutions (Ministry of National Education, Minister of Equality, Ombudsman for Children) as well as with record support from local governments of cities and voivodeships.

- This year's ranking shows that a change in attitudes is beginning to be present in schools. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but the support of state institutions is invaluable. Finally, the institutions are where they should be, that is, on the side of us, the youth. Unfortunately, we still notice cases of schools in the Ranking that are rated red on the map and this is disturbing to us. We want every school to be a place that educates young people in the spirit of openness and respect for human dignity. These are our basic rights, says Mateusz Trzaska, co-coordinator of the Ranking.

Results in a new formula

This year's ranking shows that just over 50% of people participating in the study declare that the atmosphere at school is good. This is still not much, so it is crucial to support the student, teacher and parent communities to improve the atmosphere in schools throughout Poland.

There is still a lot to be done in terms of peer violence, as many as 41% of study participants experienced psychological violence (e.g. exclusion, name-calling, ridicule) due to sexual orientation or gender identity, and 49% of study participants experienced psychological violence due to other reasons. The level of physical violence (e.g. nudging, shoving) is alarming: 28% of participants experienced it because of sexual orientation or gender identity, and 27% for other reasons. Experiencing violence in the case of children and adolescents means not only being a victim, but also a witness.

- Our slogan is School of Trust, because as many as 32% of students who took part in the study do not have even a single person they could count on at school. For many years we have had a problem with low availability of psychological care. It's hard to trust someone we don't have the opportunity to see or talk to. We often do not know that we can ask for this help or ask other students or parents for it. That's why the role of the Ministry we work in is so important to rebuild this trust, says Aleksandra Stube from the GrowSPACE Foundation. - Systemic changes are necessary. Teaching staff, psychologists and school counselors are overburdened with excessive responsibilities or are not provided with the appropriate tools to provide appropriate assistance.

Ranking throughout Poland

The results of the Ranking are presented on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday throughout the country. Today, regional conferences are taking place in: Łódź, Poznań, Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Kielce, Boguchwał, and in the following days they will also take place in Opole, Bydgoszcz and Katowice. In the survey, young people answered questions about the school community's approach to LGBTQ+ people, whether there is discrimination, whether anti-violence workshops are organized, and whether teachers support the LGBTQ+ community.

Contact:

Mateusz Trzaska, 602 195 854, mateusz.trzaska@growspace.pl