Unity Conejo inspires NPHS students
Founded by CVUSD parent Megan Goebel, Unity Conejo is an organization of parents, students and teachers dedicated to implementing change in schools for the LGBTQ+ students throughout Conejo Valley. Unity Conejo has been meeting virtually since it was formed in the beginning of September.
The goal of the organization is to effectively train teachers to support members of the LGBTQ+ community in the classroom, create safe spaces like Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in all CVUSD schools and provide LGBTQ+ sex education. “Our main goal is to make Conejo Valley a more inclusive community for everyone and also be able to make it a better safe place for everyone to go to,” Sophia Resnick, junior, explained.
Michael Lindroth, Ava Ahlberg and Resnick are currently the three NPHS representatives in Unity Conejo. Unity Conejo encourages its members to take action in everyday life outside of the organization as well, which has proven to have a positive effect on its members. “This organization has encouraged me to be more active in my community,” Lindroth said. “I have been inspired to help implement change in CVUSD. I cannot wait to see what we will be able to do.”
For Ahlberg, being in Unity Conejo has changed how she sees Thousand Oaks. “We have a lot of improvement to make in LGBTQ issues. It is sad to see so much homophobia in my own town, people just need education and understanding,” Ahlberg said. According to Resnick, Unity Conejo has impacted how closely she was tied to the LGBTQ+ community. “A lot of my friends don’t know how closely tied I am to the community, so then I ask them to think of it in a different way and help them form a more positive opinion [about LGBTQ+],” Resnick said.
At the CVUSD board meeting on Oct. 6, Lindroth and Ahlberg made public comments on behalf of Unity Conejo. Lindroth talked about his personal experiences with homophobic behavior in CVUSD: “As a gay student at CVUSD, I have experienced homophobia at CVUSD. I have been called homophobic slurs in locker rooms, walking around campus, and online”. Lindtroth’s experiences support the call for action of Unity Conejo to accommodate for the LGBTQ+ community in CVUSD.
