January 22, 2019, Winnipeg, Manitoba — Grade 12 students from Gray Academy of Jewish Education are organizing Speak Out, a conference aimed at spreading awareness of LGBT2SQ+ issues. The conference will take place on January 25 at Gray Academy and feature a keynote address by Ari Weinberg, Artistic Director of the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, and a panel hosted by Tyler Carr from Winnipeg radio station Energy 106.

"We want to bring light to a subject that is often overlooked in a fun and interactive way," says Toby Szkop, Grade 12 Gray Academy student and Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Vice President. "We hope that Speak Out will only improve the already established safe space we have at Gray Academy."

Szkop and Sarah Jacobsohn, GSA President and Grade 12 student, help lead the school's GSA called Keshet, which means rainbow in Hebrew. The student group meets every week and discusses how to make the school an inclusive and accepting place for all students.

"Keshet gives students a place where they can be themselves," says Jacobsohn. "I've seen first hand the impact we have on students and the school community."

Keshet received a Human Rights awards in recognition for their pioneering work in a religious school, and they continue to raise the bar. Speak Out is just one of the many events the school's GSA has planned for the year ahead.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

David Borzykowski                                                  

Director of Marketing and Communications           

Gray Academy of Jewish Education                        

204.477.7488                                                          

[email protected]