Is Your School SAFE?
Calling all 6-12th grade teachers, staff and anyone else who works with students. We'll be holding our next two-day SAFE (Schools Are For Everyone) Training in Hamden, CT on October 20th and 21st. Read the flyer for more information, and click here to register.
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GLSEN's 2011 GSA Census
GLSEN has supported GSAs for more than 20 years, providing resources and a place for more than 4,000 clubs to register. With the start of a new school year, we know some GSAs may not have registered with us yet. Plus, we want to know from all GSAs how we can provide even better support in the coming school year. So we're excited to announce the 2011 GSA Census. Are you a GSA member or advisor? Make sure your GSA is counted! |
Stand with GLSEN Board Member Sirdeaner Walker
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will feature GLSEN Spokesperson and Board Member Sirdeaner Walker in an upcoming episode. To give people an opportunity to show their support for Sirdeaner's efforts to end bullying, the show worked with GLSEN to create a new website where people can take a pledge to Stand Together against bullying. Take the pledge.
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GLSEN Connecticut is a member of Community Works of Connecticut, a progressive workplace giving program.
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Please Note: This electronic message from GLSEN Connecticut contains information and opinions deemed relevant to ending anti-LGBT bias in schools and other items which may be of interest to the LGBT community and its valued allies. Not all opinions expressed are those of GLSEN Connecticut.
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Greetings!
A special welcome to the hundreds of you who are receiving our eNewsletter, Respect, for the first time. Thank you for stopping by our booth at Pride or the North East Conference on Multicultural Education. We hope that you and our over 1,500 other subscribers - yes, we just passed 1,500 - enjoy this issue of Respect.
Today is National Coming Out Day! Coming out is something that we do every day. Whether you are an ally or identify as LGBT, we decide each day whether to come out or not. It's not an easy situation and it shouldn't be taken lightly. Therefore, we are happy to share with you
During the month of October we will be celebrating Ally Week (October 17-21). Allies are such a strong part of the work we do at GLSEN Connecticut that we devote an entire week for students to organize events that serve to identify, support and celebrate allies against anti-LGBT language, bullying and harassment in America's schools. Click here for Ally Week resources. During Ally Week, GLSEN Connecticut is happy to be co-sponsoring an Anti-Bullying Vigil with The Pride Network at 7pm on 10/19/11 on the steps of Norwalk City Hall. We are also providing a SAFE training on October 20th and 21st (see sidebar) and hope you can join us! Finally, for those who tuned in to watch the 20/20 special on Larry King expecting to see GLSEN's Executive Director, Eliza Byard, the segment was clipped because of other pressing news. However, you can view that segment here.
We look forward to partnering with you to provide Connecticut's students the school environments they need, deserve, and have a right to. Wishing everyone a safe, affirming and productive Ally Week! Peace,   Leif Mitchell and Liane Roseman
Co-Chairs, GLSEN Connecticut
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Educator's Corner: Unheard Voices
 GLSEN is proud to release Unheard Voices, a new resource developed in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League and StoryCorps. This oral history project is a collection of moving stories of individuals who bore witness to or helped shape LGBT history in some way. Each story is captured in a brief interview and is accompanied by a backgrounder with discussion questions and activities for educators, and a student reading with biographical information about the interview subject and historical background on the era. Several lesson plans are included for middle and high school students that explore topics related to the interviews. |
"Four More Days to Apply"
The Top 5 Reasons to Join Jump-Start!
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Left to Right: Julian, Mara, Shawn, Skylar
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Our Jump-Start team had an awesome time at the Connecticut PRIDE Rally and Festival last month. We met some of our current applicants, made some new friends, and got many others to apply. But we're still looking for more high school students (Gr. 9-12) who are committed to making their schools safer and strengthening GSAs all across the state. Our team came up with the five top reasons you should apply or encourage others to apply for our team:
- "Students should join to meet other students from different parts of the state and learn more about their GSAs." - Mara Skowronek , Student Leader
- "You should join the Jump-Start team because you'll learn to get out of your comfort zone." - Shawn Gilhuly, Student Leader
- "I like to be involved in LGBTQ activism, in any ways I can be; the Jump-Start team seems like a great opportunity to get involved." - Skylar Liam Spear, Student Leader
- You'll inspire others to advocate for social change and be an ally to someone who really needs one." - Alberto Cifuentes, Jr. , Adult Coordinator
- "We are like a family; we treat everyone equally and we support everyone as much as we can. We all want to achieve the same goal- to have safe schools- and if anyone wants to help us reach it, they should join the Jump-Start team." - Julian Arias, Student Coordinator
Time is almost up to apply! The deadline is this upcoming Saturday, Oct. 15th. That's four more days!
To apply, please access our application under "Related Documents" on the right side of our Jump-Start page. If you have any questions about the team, click on our One-pager under "Related Documents" or request to join our Facebook group where you can message actual Jump-Start team members.
Please don't hesitate to apply now and become a vital part of this empowering safe schools movement!
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GSA Advisor Corner: Safe Space
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Important Info at any school: Fire Exits, No Smoking and Safe Space!
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Thanks to Libby Abraham, GSA co-advisor at Ansonia High School for this great photo showing a customized, handmade version of their safe space sticker. Here's how their GSA used their design to generate conversations about the safe space program:
"We started our GSA in 2010, and had lots more interest than we expected. I wanted a way for us to reach out to the other teachers. I enlisted some students to help with design ideas, and the library helped us to print them out and laminate the "stickers." Finally, we had GSA members discuss what a safe space meant to them, after which the students asked their teachers to place the stickers on display in classrooms. What I found pleasantly surprising was the number of students who came to me throughout the year asking for more stickers - for their teacher, their binder, their room at home... We truly never know who is watching our actions, and even the smallest piece of paper can inspire our students to feel connected and supported at school."
Thanks for your inspiration, Libby! Happy October, fellow teachers and GSA advisors, please don't hesitate to contact me, Joy Lenters, if you need support or advice.
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