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“Give Out Day” Raises Over $550K for LGBT Organizations

May 10th, 2013

The Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition was the only Mississippi group participating this year. We raised over $500 in just 24 hours. Those funds are going to be used to help further our programs and projects, new ventures, and our internship program.

MSSC greatly depends on generous donations from our supporters. Just last year, our annual Queer Youth & Ally Summit cost just under $100 because of generous non-monetary donations from local businesses and volunteers. We appreciate all methods of giving. For more information on how you can volunteer please fill out our Volunteer Registration.

At the close of the 24 hour period 5,474 people gave $556,400 to LGBT organizations from across the United States. National Give Out Day, powered by Bolder Giving released this statement at 12amEST/11pm CST:

Thank you for being part of the first ever Give OUT Day for the LGBTQ community and making history! Because of your generosity, countless lives will be impacted through your gifts to LGBTQ nonprofit organizations that address our community’s needs in a changing and complex society.

Thank you for uniting to give where you live!

For more information on how you can volunteer please fill out our Volunteer Registration.

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Join others in donating to MSSC May 9th for Give Out Day!

May 2nd, 2013

On May 9th, 2013, thousands of people across the country are going to show their support for their favorite LGBTQ nonprofit during Give OUT Day.  On that day, every donation and donor we get will go further to help us claim our share of awards.

We need you to help us with these three things:

1) Mark May 9th, 2013, on your calendar and add this giving link. http://giveout.razoo.com/story/Mississippi-Safe-Schools-Coalition

2) Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and help build the buzz.

3) Spread the excitement! Tell your friends and family why you think they should help us with their donation. Please be our champion, and help us

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“Breaking the Silence” LGBTQ+ Symposium- April 19-20th

April 2nd, 2013
Attention LGBTQ campus activists!
     The UM Pride Network, Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition, and William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation are co-sponsoring “Breaking the Silence LGBTQ Symposium: Changing Campus Climate” April 19-20, 2013, at the University of Mississippi. The event includes workshops, skill-sharing sessions for GSAs across the state, and a keynote by Paulina Helm-Hernandez from Southerners on New Ground.  Travel assistance is available for people coming from out of town.

For full schedule of events, click here.

The registration deadline is April 5th.  Click Here to Register or for more information!

 

 

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Apply to Become a QYAB Member

February 26th, 2013

 

Are you interested in working with LGBTQ+ youth in the educational system? Want to better your community? Would you like to be part of something life altering? Why not apply to be a part of the Queer Youth Advisory Board (or QYAB) for the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition, our youth driven and youth led board of directors. MSSC is now accepting applications for QYAB 2013.

 For  information about our current QYAB, check out our Leadership Page.

 

Why should you apply? By joining QYAB you will gain valuable leadership experience, learn new skills,  have access to travel opportunities, and experience the exciting and rewarding world of non-profits work.

 

 

Click here to apply online.

   PRIORITY DEADLINE: March 15, 2013


*Applications turned in before the priority deadline will be considered first. While we will accept applications after this date, they may not be considered for this year’s application process.

*Applicants must commit to serving as a QYAB member one year to date of joining.

 

 

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5th Annual MSSC Summit on LGBTQ Youth in Mississippi

October 25th, 2012

group photoWe’re hosting our 5th annual Queer Youth & Allies Summit. Every year MSSC brings together youth and adults from across the state for a few days of activism, education and networking. This year we’re going to be running in conjunction with Jackson Black Pride, an annual event hosted by My Brother’s Keeper. Summit will provide leadership development for young folks around school-to-prison pipeline issues, student organizations and GSAs, as well as provide for the first time an address on the works of MSSC. We’re going into our 5th year and we want to celebrate our accomplishments with you.

20121024-194734.jpgJoin us November 16-18th at Safe Harbor Family Church. All ages are welcome. We will have topics targeted for students, educators, and community allies. Our focus this year is a continuation from last year, which aimed at creating more inclusive communities by working at the intersections of racial justice, educational justice, and queer justice.

The event is free and open to all ages
To register please visit www.mssafeschools.org/registration

Want to present at Summit or have a topic you’d want to learn more about?

MSSC is accepting workshop proposals and topic suggestions until November 3rd. If you or your organization would like to submit a workshop proposal or suggestion please visit http://goo.gl/73dx9

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MSSC Launches Intern Program

September 28th, 2012

MSSC is proud to announce the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition Youth Internship Program. The program offers four young people the opportunity to work at a community, state, and national level on queer organizing.

The program focuses on four major facets of MSSC’s work: GSA Development, Education & Policy, Mobilization & Media, and Health Issues. If you are interested in being a part of this inaugural year please visit http://www.mssafeschools.org/internship to apply.

Current Internships

  • Salary/Pay: No financial compensation will be offered for these positions. Travel opportunities and skill-building will be included.
  • Qualifications: Dedication, access to internet or phone at least once a week.
  • Location: Statewide. Each program is offered as a work-at-home, work-at-the library program

If selected, you will be responsible for your own internet access and phone service. MSSC is seeking energetic young people to fulfill the following positions:

  • GSA Development
  • Education & Policy
  • Mobilization & Media
  • Health Issues
  • Other topics may be considered

For more information check out our internship program page at: http://www.mssafeschools.org/internship

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Let us know what’s going on in your school!

September 10th, 2012

Southern Miss students at USM GSA’s 2011 Fall meet & greet

Every August marks the beginning of a new school year for the nearly 500,000 students in public schools throughout Mississippi. With the new semester in full swing, we want to know what’s going on in your school.

Does your school have a Gay Straight Alliance or other student organizations that focuses on supporting, educating or creating safe spaces for LGBTQ students? If not, would you be interested in finding out if there are other students, parents or staff that would be supportive of these organizations?

The Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition maintains a number of projects throughout the school, most of which focus on helping folks create these safer, more inclusive spaces. We do that by supporting existing gay straight alliances (many of which are in colleges and universities), building coalitions with other organizations throughout the state and country, as well as offering resources and trainings to individuals who want to create these spaces in their own communities or schools.

So if you’re interested in starting a new group or finding out if other allies or students would be willing to help out, contact us. We’ll try to get you connected up and supported. If you’ve got a group already but are looking to bounce your ideas off of someone, send us an email and we’ll offer some input or direct you to another GSA leader in the state. Remember our organization is made up of young folks, much like yourselves. Many of them are not only on MSSC’s board but also are working with their GSAs on work plans for the year.

If you’re not the type to really reach out here’s a few possibilities for the school year to get the gears turning:

  • Intersectional work and ally-building. Why not think about ways to work with other student groups? You don’t have to always talk about LGBTQ topics, think outside the box. You might be surprised to find allies in some other groups.
  • Trainings and leadership development. MSSC and our partner student organizations can help out if you’re group wants to work towards leadership development or maybe your interested in trainings. Currently MSSC is working on the following types of trainings that we’d love to share with you: media training, education justice, visions & values of your organization, school-to-prison pipeline, racial justice, event planning, fundraising.
  • Plan fun “stuff.” Planning events to bring out the social side of folks often works well. These can include movie nights, Halloween or other themed parties, bowling nights, art displays, etc.

Already have fun “stuff” planned for the year?

Let us know what your organization is up to this year.
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MSSC joins 24 other states in Louisville, KY for National Gathering

August 8th, 2012

From the Gay Straight Alliance Network of California:

“GSA activists from across the country come together every summer at the National Gathering. The goal of the National Gathering is to support the GSA movement across the country and expand it to include even more states, cities and towns.”

This year’s event took place in Louisville, Kentucky and was hosted by The Louisville Youth Group. Among the attendees were representatives from a number of Southeastern states including Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi (of course). As part of this year’s gathering, states from designated regions were given time to plan regional action. The Southeastern region gathered to discuss making national tools and resources more culturally appropriate to the Southeast.  Other groups planned regional actions and coalition building.

Among the workshops presented were a Mississippi-led discussion on rural organizing, a New Mexico/Arizona-led discussion on the Two-Spirit Movement and one entitled Define Yourself to Empower Yourself which focused on labels and how they help to define identities. As the Mississippi representative, Anna C. was able to participate in a number of workshops including co-facilitating one on Teaching Racial Justice (a workshop previously presented at Southeastern LGBTQ Activist Camp and 2011 Q&A Youth Summit).

Overall friendships were made, regional bonds were strengthened and the Safe Schools movement was pushed forward as we caught a glimpse of the young leaders in this movement.

*Image courtesy of Gay Straight Alliance Network of California

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Southeastern LGBTQ Activist Camp Comes to a Close

July 23rd, 2012

Photo courtesy of Regi S.

 

Southeastern LGBTQ Activist Camp came to a close around 4pm Saturday July 21, 2012. The event marked the first time this large of a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight youth came together to learn about anti-oppression work. The coalition of five states sponsoring the event brought together approximately 50 youth from Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas. The coalition partners included sponsor organizations Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition and Gay Straight Alliance Network (based in California) along with host organization Center for Artistic Revolution. Youth from the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition led a workshop on Trans Justice. The Southern Poverty Law Center of Alabama and PFLAG Maryville of Tennessee also sponsored youth from their states.

The camp is the first of what hopes to be an annual event. Campers from both Georgia and Mississippi were already beginning to claim next year’s location. Participants ranged from 14-25 years old and many of which already had experience working on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. The goal of the camp was to create safer schools and communities for LGBTQ youth and their allies by providing a more intersectional approach to Gay Straight Alliance work.

Among the Mississippi participants (pictured top right) were youth from My Brother’s Keeper, Inc.

My Brother’s Keeper, Inc. (MBK) is a private, nonprofit, 501(c) (3) organization located in the Jackson, MS metropolitan area designed to enhance the health and well being of minority populations through leadership in public and community health practices, collaboration and partnerships.

Other participants included youth trainers from William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation who led a workshop on racism and white supremacy in the Southern US.

Founded in 1999, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation builds more inclusive communities by promoting diversity and citizenship, and by supporting projects that help communities solve local challenges.

Students and former students from the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gay Straight Alliance also attended the event. Those youth led workshops on GSA Development in College and University settings.

The Gay Straight Alliance at The University of Southern Mississippi is a group of students, faculty, and community members who believe in putting an end to homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, racism, sexism, and all other forms of discrimination. The GSA offers free education, support, and information to individuals hoping to learn more about our organization.

For more information on Camp or to find out how you can learn more about MSSC’s exciting opportunities and trainings please contact us at info@mssafeschools.org. If you would like to help sponsor this and other events or activities please visit our Donations page.

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Thinking about starting a GSA in your school but not sure how? Attend National Gathering with MSSC!

July 11th, 2012

Every year, the Gay Straight Alliance Network and National Association of GSA Networks hosts a National Gathering for LGBTQ and Ally youth. This year, National Gathering will take place August 2nd – 4th in Louisville, Kentucky. MSSC will be taking two 8th – 12th graders. If you will be in the 8th-12th grade this fall, please take a moment to apply to attend National Gathering.

Two MSSC folks will be accompanying the youth. This is an incredible opportunity for any youth looking to start a GSA or strengthen their group. Workshops will include a variety of topics and will be youth-focused and for the most part youth-led. This year’s theme is GSA Organizing at the Intersections. Please consider attending National Gathering this year with MSSC. For information on past Gatherings please visit: http://www.gsanetwork.org/events/national-gathering

Applications are now closed

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