“All children should feel welcome, safe, and included as their authentic selves every day.” A quote that sounds so simple but yet it’s so powerful to many!

Gender inclusion is something that Jackrabbit’s leaders, employees, and clients are very passionate about, as we support over 6,000 youth activity centers across that world that see all walks of life. It is important that each and every student that walks through every single one of those doors feels safe, included, and accepted for exactly who they are.

What Does Gender Inclusion Mean to Jackrabbit?

Gender Inclusion and Jackrabbit Clients

Working with passionate people like dance studio, gymnastics gyms, swim school, and other youth activity center owners is one of the best parts of my day. Our clients truly love what they do and it reflects through every part of their business. Having the ability to customize how they do or do not use gender allows their program to be an extension of what they believe in – a place for all children to be who they are.

One of our long time clients, Emily Finch, shared some tips on incorporating gender neutrality in your policies and other parts of your program. (–> Read the full article)

Gender Inclusion and Jackrabbit Employees

The thing I love most about Jackrabbit is the culture. It is truly something that can’t be put into words but you can see it and you can feel it. As cliche as it may sound, it’s like one big family here and I have formed some of the most incredible friendships with my coworkers. And with that, I get to learn a lot about my fellow bunnies.

I asked some of the team what gender inclusion meant to them and this one gave me all the feels!

“Gratitude from a Mama Bear

I am a proud LGBTQ Mama Bear. My kiddo is my world…and he and his friends are our future. They are our teachers and there is SO much to learn! But their road can be a rough one, and their struggle for acceptance and inclusion is far too real. They are forced into the binary of male or female because of the narrowness of our minds. They are often required to make this choice when neither option fits – a washroom, a changeroom in a clothing store, school classrooms… Often policies and practices are enforced that can punish gender non-conforming and transgender youth simply for being who they are.

Imagine this as being part of every day of your life. Imagine the fear, the isolation, and the confusion these kids feel. Now imagine a world where no child is punished for being their unique, authentic selves. With Jackrabbit’s new Gender Inclusion enhancement, we are one step closer! Now a family can register their child using a form that allows them to select a non-binary gender option. From that first interaction, they are validated and included. That horrible decision over which ‘box to check’ will no longer squash these kids!!

Thank you, Jackrabbit, for easing the burden of so many kids and their families, and for the message it sends to the world.”
– Sandi

As you can see, this initiative means a lot to a lot of people!

3 Things to Know about Jackrabbit’s Gender Inclusion Initiative

To better align with our beliefs and passion, Jackrabbit’s product team knew that making the application more customizable was a no brainer for our clients. Here are three things you need to know about this initiative as an owner of a youth activity center.

1. Gender can be hidden globally

If your youth activity center doesn’t filter classes by gender, you can hide all gender fields throughout your Jackrabbit application. What exactly does that entail?

• • Classes will no longer show a gender field
  • Reports will not have a gender filter
  • Web Registration will not ask for gender
  • Parent Portal will no longer display gender

And the list keeps on going, making it easy for you to take gender out of the equation for your families with the flip of a switch.

2. Gender options are customizable

Like most parts of Jackrabbit, the gender drop-down list options are customizable, meaning you can create the options that best suit your clientele. The most important thing here being parents aren’t forced to choose between two conventional options that their child may or may not fit in to. They can select the right gender with no anxiousness about how they answered. And that is a great feeling!

3. Gender-inclusive terminology

Within the Jackrabbit application, you will find ‘All’ is an option in drop-down lists in addition to the values created. Previously we used ‘both’ but with more than 2 possible gender options, ‘all’ better fits the gender inclusion we strive to achieve. Small changes for us make a world of difference for others!

Ready to join Jackrabbit’s inclusive initiative? Create your free account and begin customizing gender settings at your youth activity center.

How to set up Gender Options in Jackrabbit