Media Guide: Working With Students

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GLSEN works hard to provide students the support and tools needed to make a difference in their schools and communities, empowering students to take part in the movement to end anti-LGBT harassment and discrimination in all K-12 schools. Students participate in a variety of ways and in a number of GLSEN-sponsored programs and events.

Student Leadership Trainings: GLSEN is committed to cultivating tools and resources for student activists. Working with a group of committed middle and high school student leaders from across the country, GLSEN ensures that students are prepared to make their schools safer places for all students.

With the Jump Start leadership team, a core group of student organizers committed to safe schools for students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/ expression, GLSEN trains students to advocate for safer schools policies, create safe spaces for all students with student clubs, commonly known as gay-straight alliances (GSAs), sponsor teacher trainings on how to be effective adult allies in the education community, and build awareness of LGBT issues on campus.

One student reported after the Jump Start leadership training, “. . . the knowledge gained and the resources acquired serve only to rocket-propel forward the cause for safe schools. GLSEN is doing such a service in providing the training and forum to the front liners in the fight for equality and acceptance . . . the Regional Summits are no less than amazing.”

Students of Color Organizing (SOCO) Retreat: GLSEN is also proud to put on more focused conferences for students of color, where we partner with local organizations and national leaders to provide specific resources for some of our most active student leaders. The Students of Color Organizing Retreat is specifically geared toward our students of color student leaders. Many SOCO students develop projects at the retreat that include a personal analysis of race, sexual orientation, and gender expression.

Jump Start Resources: GLSEN also provides online resources for student clubs, commonly known as GSAs. The Jump-start project provides resources for starting and strengthening student clubs. Topics range from how to mobilize your membership, to how to use an anti-oppression model in your organizing and group planning, to how to get administrative buy-in for student club events.

The Jump Start resources are important tools to the more than 2,500 student clubs that are registered with our organization. For more information about our online resource visit: http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/custom/jump.html. Yearbook: GLSEN’s Yearbook is an artistic project, produced through the student internship program that provides a forum for the creative expression of LGBT youth and their allies. Students from across the country submit short stories, essays, poetry, and visual art that are then reviewed and selected to become part of GLSEN’s annual compilation.

For more information about any of our work with students, please visit www.glsen.org.

Day of Silence

One of our most widely known activities is the Day of Silence. The Day of Silence, a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in collaboration with the United States Student Association (USSA), is a student-led day of action where those who support making anti-LGBT bias unacceptable in schools take a day-long vow of silence to recognize and protest the discrimination and harassment -- in effect, the silencing -- experienced by LGBT students and their allies.

GLSEN’s 2003 National School Climate Survey found that 4 out of 5 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 30% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence helps bring us closer to making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools.

In 1996, students at the University of Virginia organized the first Day of Silence with over 150 students participating. In 1997, organizers made their efforts national and nearly 100 colleges and universities participated. In 2001, GLSEN became the official organizational sponsor with new funding, staff and volunteers dedicated to this project. Since then, student clubs, commonly known as gay-straight alliances, at middle schools and high schools across the country have put on Day of Silence events as well in an effort to raise awareness of LGBT issues at their schools.

In 2004, an estimated record 450,000 students from more than 3,000 K-12 schools, colleges and universities in all 50 states participated in the day’s events—making it the largest one-day student-led grassroots action on LGBT rights in American history. GLSEN spokespeople appeared on national media outlets including CNN and NPR, and there has been extensive local media coverage across the country.

The Day of Silence is one element of a larger effort to create safer schools for all students. Many communities, in addition to supporting the Day of Silence, host Breaking The Silence events, rallies, legislative lobby days, performances and more – both on the Day of Silence and all-year round. We are also asking our national leaders to support policies that create safer schools for all. Many communities are asking their local and state leaders to support and implement similar policies.

Testimonial from California student: Two years ago, my school participated in its first Day of Silence. Students were harassed for participating. Teachers got mad. The next year, many students did not understand the purpose, but some unlikely people began to participate and the GSA began to hear less in the way of homophobic slurs. This year, we offered stickers for those who wanted to participate but could not take a vow of silence. Many people I did not know came up to me asking for stickers and the student body was generally very excited. All of my teachers gave little speeches at the beginning or end of class about what the Day of Silence is important and told us about the queer people in their lives. Everyone really seems to get it now.

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