History
"The organization
is about supporting youth who are making the world a brighter place for
everyone."
-Jeremy Dias
The Jer's Vision Scholarship was founded by Jeremy Dias, who faced animosity in high school for being both queer and a visible minority. He made it his mission to make a difference by changing attitudes through educational activism. His activism not only addressed homophobia/heterosexism, sexism, and racism, but also extended to raising environmental awareness and reducing impaired driving in the community.
Although his efforts remained, for the most part, unchallenged, his high school, Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School in Sault Ste. Marie, began to oppose his advocacy for sexual diversity. After four years of trying to make a difference in this area and constantly being stopped by his school's administration, he decided to take a more drastic approach. He began by proposing a campaign that would create an environment that welcomed sexual diversity, and advocated tolerance in high school. Called Positive Space, this program was rejected by the administration, which stated that "The [Algoma District School] Board does not permit the posting of material advocating any specific lifestyle in classrooms or hallway[s]." In other words, the school district chose not to actively support its LGBTQ students, staff, and faculty.
Jeremy believed the Algoma District School Board's response was discriminatory, and he did not stand alone. Within two days of the Board's decision, over 120 students, staff, and faculty (15 per cent of Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School) expressed, through a petition, that they believed that Positive Space should be implemented immediately in the school, and that it would be an effective way to create a safe place for all youth, staff, and faculty.
After following traditional appeal methods and not moving forward, Jeremy began a human rights complaint against his school and school board on the grounds of discrimination. After three years of strenuous negotiations, Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School and the Algoma District School Board offered a financial settlement, but refused to apologize or make changes in the district or the school. Jeremy used the settlement to create Jer's Vision, Canada's first LGBTQ scholarship.
Now, Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative is a full National Charity currently developing a variety of programs and services to assist youth address discrimination in their schools and communities.