On March 31st, Iona Prep welcomed Jane Clementi of the Tyler Clementi foundation, who spoke with students about bullying and the importance of serving as upstanders in their school community and beyond. In 2010, Jane’s son Tyler, a student at Rutgers University at that time, ended his life at the age of 18 after being cyber-harassed.
In conjunction with Jane’s visit and talk, students from the Iona ACTs group held a fundraiser to raise funds for the organization, and encouraged other students to sign a pledge to commit to being upstanders and to speak out against bullying.
In 2021, the Tyler Clementi Foundation wrote a letter entitled: “God Is On Your Side: A Statement from Catholic Bishops on Protecting LGBT Youth.” This letter, which calls for stronger support for LGBT youth, particularly from the Church, has been supported and signed by the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, more than 182 Catholic parishes and religious orders, and 14 Catholic Bishops.
To learn more about Tyler’s story and the Tyler Clementi Foundation, please click here.