Creating an inclusive space: Get Real comes to Ivey

If you could give advice to your seventh grade self, what would you say?

For Chris Studer, a Western University 2013 alumnus, he would tell his younger self to stop bullying others, put people’s differences aside, and accept everyone for who they are.

That’s one of the reasons why Studer and three of his friends founded Get Real, a movement of university students across Canada who dedicate their time to ending homophobia and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans) discrimination.

Studer spoke to high school students who spent nine days at Ivey for the Summer Leadership Program, an enrichment program where students in grades 10 and 11 learn about university, business school, and the Ivey experience. He was joined by current Ivey HBA student Simon Mills, former co-president and one of the founders of Out at Ivey, a club for LGBT business students.

Describing Get Real as a “labour of love,” Studer said it all began when his close friend, Arthur So, noticed how often students speak with harmful language, such as using “gay” to describe things they don’t like.

“A lot of times they’re not being malicious and they don’t mean it in a certain way,” Studer said. “But they don’t realize the impact of their words. Get Real isn’t about telling someone they’re a bad person. It’s about learning experiences – always making something into a teachable moment.”

So was determined to get young people to use more inclusive language, and pitched the idea to Studer and two other friends in their second year at Western. The movement took off from there.

“These words that some people throw around in passing, these are people’s identities,” Mills said. “The word gay – that’s my identity. That’s who I am as a person. When you use these words with a negative connotation, whether it’s describing a bad movie or something you don’t like, that’s equating my identity with a negative connotation.”

The Get Real Movement has now grown into a nation-wide phenomenon and even includes student clubs in parts of the United States and the U.K. The organization is mainly focused on talking to students at an elementary and high school level about the importance of inclusivity.

Five tips on making a start-up idea a success

When they started the Get Real Movement, Studer and his friends didn’t have much – if any – entrepreneurial experience. What they did have was an idea, and an idea they all cared deeply about.

Starting an entrepreneurial venture can be intimidating, but if it’s something you are genuinely passionate about, you should go for it, Studer urged. Since co-founding Get Real in 2011, he’s learned a lot about the industry and starting a business.

He shared some advice with the Summer Leadership Program students:

1. Believe in yourself and your cause.
2. Produce work you’re proud of.
3. Get offline as much as possible – have real conversations with people.
4. Take risks.
5. Just do it.

“That excitement of being part of something you’re passionate about and you believe in is one of the coolest things ever,” Studer said. “It’s really changed my life for the better.”