How was/is SOGI content developed?
The Ministry of Education and Child Care collaborated with provincial education partners, including the University of British Columbia Faculty of Education and (SARAVYC), to support the development of SOGI. SOGI continues to be informed through SARAVYC in addition to other sources of credible information including the and the .
SOGI is not a dedicated curriculum; rather, it offers a set of resources to explore curricular themes. Within the K-12 Curriculum, the Province has identified as essential for all learners and includes topics of valuing diversity and respecting differences. Educators, schools, and school districts may wish to explore the various components and protected grounds of identity in the B.C. Human Rights Code within those curricular themes including, but not necessarily limited to, gender identity and expression.
SOGI is woven through the curriculum, most notably, physical and health education, language arts, and social studies. The learning standards of the Physical and Health Education curriculum were developed in collaboration with a team of public and independent school teachers, post-secondary academics, and subject-matter experts from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Children and Family Development. Decisions about curriculum content and age-appropriateness were made by the development team based on lessons learned from B.C.’s previous curriculum, comparison with other Canadian and international jurisdictions, and relevant academic research.
