Jump-Start 2007-2008 National Student Leadership Team

Feb 17, 2008

It is 2008. Students still hear anti-LGBT harassment in schools all across America. It is 2008. We still hear of LGBT young people being beaten up and even murdered because of their identities. It is 2008. There is a network of over 50 student organizers from across the country who have been trained to live out the mission of GLSEN; who strive to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

How can this network of students help you in your work for safer schools?

• Do you have a question about starting or maintaining a student club, commonly known as a gay-straight alliance (GSA)?
• Are you interested in planning a teacher training or implementing the local school climate survey in your school?
• Do you want to find out about safe school summits happening in your area?
• Are you planning to organize a Day of Action (Ally Action Week, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Organizing Weekend, Day of Silence) or other Days of Action?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should contact a Jump-Start student organizer from your region using their email address, which is provided below.

What’s the Jump-Start leadership team?

In order to meet the needs of students and allies in communities and schools across the country, GLSEN selected the first leadership team, a group of high school student leaders from different regions of the country to be "peer educators," connecting and giving advice to students and allies, for the Day of Silence in January 2002. Since then, GLSEN has expanded the role of the Jump-Start Leadership team to train a core group of student organizers for various projects, including Starting and Networking Student Clubs, Campaigns, Days of Action and Summits and Teacher Trainings.

Who are the student organizers?

In the spring of 2007, over 50 student organizers were selected for the Jump-Start 2007-2008 National Student Leadership Team. The group reflects a diverse group of middle and high school student leaders from all over the country.

Student organizers can answer most of your questions about safer schools organizing, including starting student clubs commonly known as gay-straight alliances (GSAs); organizing days of action; planning summits or teacher trainings, and starting campaigns to change your school or district’s policies.

Get to know the students from all over the country that are doing safer schools organizing in your community and/or get help with your student club by emailing a student leader using the appropriate email address below:

ALASKA

TONEI (Anchorage), Western Regional Student Coordinator
toneig@studentorganizing.org

ARKANSAS

HANNAH (Conway), Southern Regional Student Organizer
hannahs@studentorganizing.org

CALIFORNIA

ANTHONIA (Oakland), Western Regional Student Organizer
anthoniao@studentorganizing.org

DARIELLE (Oakland), Western Regional Student Organizer
darielles@studentorganizing.org

ISAIAH (Los Angeles), Western Regional Student Organizer
isaiahi@studentorganizing.org

NICK (Kernville), Western Regional Student Organizer
nickc@studentorganizing.org

RYAN (El Cajon), Western Regional Student Organizer
ryand@studentorganizing.org

COLORADO

JASMINE (Littleton), Western Regional Student Organizer
jasminel@studentorganizing.org

VANCE (LaSalle), Western Regional Student Coordinator
vances@studentorganizing.org

CONNECTICUT

MINERVA (Storrs), Northest Regional Student Coordinator
minervar@studentorganizing.org

FLORIDA

JAMES (Sarasota), Southern Regional Student Organizer
jamesh@studentorganizing.org

KELCIE (Tamarac), Southern Regional Student Coordinator
kelciec@studentorganizing.org

MIEGAL (Jacksonville), Southern Regional Student Organizer
miegalb@studentorganizing.org

YANSSEN (Coral Springs), Southern Regional Student Organizer
yanssenb@studentorganizing.org

GEORGIA

JOANNA (Brunswick), Southern Regional Student Organizer
joannak@studentorganizing.org

INDIANA

AMBER (New Albany), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
amberh@studentorganizing.org

KANSAS

MIKEY (Leavenworth), Southern Regional Student Organizer
michaelg@studentorganizing.org

KENTUCKY

LESLIE (Bardstown), Southern Regional Student Organizer
leslieb@studentorganizing.org

LOUISIANA

ASHLEY (Mandeville), Southern Regional Coordinator
ashleyb@studentorganizing.org

MARYLAND

ELIZABETH (Frederick), Northeast Regional Student Coordinator
elizabethd@studentorganizing.org

MASSACHUSETTS

ABIGAIL (Cambridge), Northeast Regional Student Organizer
abigailc@studentorganizing.org

HANNAH (Worchester), Northeast Regional Student Coordinator
hannahb@studentorganizing.org

MEREDITH (Brookline), Northeast Regional Student Organizer
meredithn@studentorganizing.org

MICHIGAN

CAIUS (Berkley), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
caiuss@studentorganizing.org

MINNESOTA

NICK (Falcon Heights), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
nicka@studentorganizing.org

VERONICA (Bloomington), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
veronicab@studentorganizing.org

MISSOURI

ANDREW (St. George), South Regional Student Organizer
andrewd@studentorganizing.org

MONTANA

SADIE (Missoula), South Regional Student Organizer
sadieo@studentorganizing.org

NEBRASKA

LINDSEY (Omaha), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
lindseyf@studentorganizing.org

SARAH (Omaha), Midwest Regional Student Coordinator
sarahb@studentorganizing.org

NEW JERSEY

CHRISTIAN (Maplewood), Northeast Regional Student Coordinator
christianf@studentorganizing.org

NEVADA

JENI-CATHERINE (Las Vegas), Western Region Student Organizer
jenic@studentorganizing.org

NEW YORK

IVONNE (Ballston Spa), Northeast Regional Student Organizer
ivonneo@studentorganizing.org

RAYMOND (Brooklyn), Northeast Regional Student Organizer
raymondm@studentorganizing.org

SAM (Albany), Northeast Regional Student Coordinator
samc@studentorganizing.org

TED (Rochester), Northeast Regional Student Organizer
tedm@studentorganizing.org

OHIO

JUSTIN (Toronto), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
justinp@studentorganizing.org

PENNSYLVANIA

ETHAN (Pittsburgh), Northeast Regional Student Organizer
ethanp@studentorganizing.org

HUGH (West Pittston), Northeast Regional Student Organizer
hughg@studentorganizing.org

TENNESSEE

CONRAD (Knoxville), Southern Regional Student Organizer
conradh@studentorganizing.org

TEXAS

CRIS (Bastrop), Southern Regional Student Coordinator
criss@studentorganizing.org

VIRGINIA

TRUONG (Richmond), Southern Regional Student Organizer
truongd@studentorganizing.org

WASHINGTON

CULLYN (Sequim), Western Regional Student Organizer
cullynf@studentorganizing.org

KYLE (Shoreline), Western Regional Student Organizer
kyler@studentorganizing.org

WISCONSIN

ERIC (West Bend), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
ericb@studentorganizing.org

ZOE (Milwaukee), Midwest Regional Student Organizer
zoew@studentorganizing.org