Educate & Celebrate is a UK based charity with the vision 'Making schools and organisations LGBT+Friendly' that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans. It aims to achieve this by delivering training, resources and strategies that effectively empower schools and organisations to eradicate homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. The resources have been used by primary and secondary schools, local authorities, universities and workplaces in line with Ofsted criteria 2013 and The Equality Act 2010. The organisation was founded by former music teacher and Head of Year at Stoke Newington School Elly Barnes who is currently the CEO.
In 2012 Ofsted recognised ‘Educate & Celebrate’ as ‘best practice’ for taking a whole-school approach to tackling homophobic bullying and ingrained attitudes in our schools ‘This approach has been highly successful.'
In 2015 Educate & Celebrate was one of eight national organisations that successfully bid for part of a £2m sum awarded by the government to challenge homophobic, bipohobic and transphobic bullying in schools.
Educate & Celebrate has three patrons: Vix Perks, Jonathan Blake, one of the original members of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners and lesbian comedian and musician Clare Summerskill who has performed at events such as Homotopia.
Educate & Celebrate shares a London office with the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard that recently re-launched as the Switchboard LGBT+ helpline.
Great Rainbow Bake-off Competition
In 2014 the organisation initiated the ‘Great Rainbow Bake-off Competition.’ In partnership with Gay Star News the competition was launched during national Anti-Bullying week in November along with the theme ‘creatively dealing with bullying’. The ten winning entries participated in a live final in London in February 2015.’ Judges were Elly Barnes, Scott Nunn, Director of Gay Star News and professional chef Allegra McEvedy.
Allegra McEvedy MBE, Chef, Writer & Broadcaster said: “I am totally behind the Great Rainbow Bake-off as a way to promote anti-gay bullying in schools. All children have a right to the playground and the classroom being safe places, ones free from prejudice of sexuality, race or religion. It’s a truth that children can sometimes be mean, especially when it comes to differences; in some cases they need help to understand that all being different is a cause for celebration, not aggression. I wish when I was at school a campaign like this had existed.”