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N-volved Leadership Group Inspired to Create Safer Spaces

Student-athletes from N-volved gathered on Tuesday night to learn more about gender and sexual identity during their monthly meeting. The group heard from the Executive Director of OutNebraska, Abbi Swatsworth. OutNebraska is a local organization that serves to empower and celebrate LGBTQ+ communities through promoting visibility and working collaboratively with others across the state of Nebraska. OutNebraska organizes support groups, activities, workshops, and other community education initiatives.

In a programed titled, "Creating Safer Spaces," Swatsworth educated the group on correct terminology, prounous, and practices within the LGBTQ+ community. Engaging in a few group activities and discussion, N-volved members were able to ask questions and develop a better understanding of different perspectives. "I realized I didn't know much about the LGBTQ+ community, so this presentation was very eye opening," sophomore Ryan Schommer reflected. "I learned ways to respect people's boundaries in terms of pronouns and privacy. Going forward, I'm going to be much slower to assume pronouns and be more open with my viEw of the world and other people's perspectives."

Swatsworth led the group through discussions and activities for the students to better understand the challenges the LGBTQ+ community faces on a regular basis. One discussion centered on the concept of binary options for gender and sexual identity and how a strict binary perspective can be difficult for those exploring their personal identity. Others activities aimed to give student-athletes the tools to create safer spaces on their teams and in the athletic department as a whole.

Emily Cheramie, junior Rifle student-athlete, helped to organize Tuesday's program. "This topic is important because it's necessary to foster acceptance and understanding, especially in an institution that is rooted in history, so change is slow to happen," Cheramie noted. "Abbi's presentation taught the basics of understanding, as well as her being there to answer in-depth questions. It's so important to start with the students, because their interactions shape the overall culture of our department."

From discussions like those led by Swatsworth, N-volved seeks to continue educating and providing tools for student-athletes to explore and become educated on social topics and to advocate for themselves and their peers, creating an ever more inclusive culture within Nebraska Athletics. Student-athletes in the group are challenged to apply the knowledge they learn at monthly meetings, hosting events that engage their peers in education and advocacy.

On Wednesday, October 23rd the N-volved members will host an LGBTQ+ awareness table outside the training table at dinner to do just that. They will be distributing fact sheets about prominent LGBTQ+ celebrities, conversation cards to spark discussion over dinner, and rainbow cookies for dessert. Additionally, music created by LGBTQ+ individuals will be playing the background.

To learn more about the N-volved leadershop group, and all Life Skills program, visit Huskers.com/lifeskills.