Student Leaders Gather for 7th Annual SummerSTART Program

GLSEN is proud to announce the success of its seventh annual Jump-Start National Student Leadership Team training, Summer START, which will took place July 10-14th in Boston, Massachusetts.

Forty middle and high school student leaders gathered from across the country. Students far away as Spokane, Washington to Fort Lauderdale, Florida were selected to participate in Summer START and become part of the safer schools movement. Organizers received trainings focused on safer schools organizing skills including: anti-oppression, direct action organizing, facilitation, leadership and teamwork.

"GLSEN’s student leadership program works in direct partnership with youth to create safer schools for all students," said Kevin Jennings, GLSEN Founder and Executive Director. "Without the central role student leaders play in GLSEN’s mission, we could not realize our vision of a future in which students respect all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression."

"These trainings are an exciting beginning to the Jump-Start team’s year-long effort to create safe schools in their local communities and beyond as part of a national movement to end anti-LGBT bullying and harassment."

GLSEN’s Jump-Start team, or Jump-Start 2008-2009 National Student Leadership Team, is a group of middle and high school student leaders from all walks of life who use their knowledge and expertise to organize and support students and adult allies around the country. The 40 students were selected from a competitive group of 600 applications.