Archive for February, 2012

William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation hosts 3rd annual Summer Youth Institute

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

From The Winter Institute

This summer, the Winter Institute will be hosting the third annual Summer Youth Institute June 10-24 at the University of Mississippi. SYI is for Mississippi high school students currently in their freshman and sophomore years. The program emphasizes relationship building, history, diversity, and civic engagement through fun activities, field trips, and workshops. At the end of the program, students go home with a plan for a project to improve their communities and plenty of new friends here at the Institute and across the state. Best of all, SYI is free to students who are accepted into the program.

The Winter Institute is currently accepting applications from students across the state. Based on the applications, they will be interviewing about 50 students to fill 24 available spots. The priority application deadline for SYI is March 1st, though we are extending that through March 15th.

Check out the flyer for the program to the right. You can also learn more about SYI and find the online application at our website, http://youth.winterinstitute.org. If you have any questions about the program, contact Patrick Weems at phweems@gmail.com or 662-915-6734.

Find out more information about The William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at

Posted in Conferences, Events | No Comments »

4th Annual Second Chance Prom to be May 19th in Hattiesburg

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

written by Anna C. Davis (anna@mssafeschools.org)

HATTIESBURG – MSSC in partnership with the Gay Straight Alliance at The University of Southern Mississippi are proud to announce the 4th Annual Second Chance Prom. The Prom which will occur May 19th, 2012 in the Thad Cochran Center at the USM – Hattiesburg campus, is open to individuals 16-30 years old.

This year’s theme will be a Brazilian-style Carnival, so break out your bright colors and save those Mardi Gras outfits!

Check out our #MSSCProm page for more details.

Cost: Tickets to the event are $10 each

Eligibility: You must be between the ages of 16-30 to attend #MSSCProm.
If your date is over that age or under that age, we cannot guarantee admittance. Please contact us at info@mssafeschools.org

If you would like to donate or volunteer for Second Chance Prom please contact us and check out our volunteer page.

What is Second Chance Prom?

Prom can be a time for great excitement and bonding with fellow classmates, but for many lesbian, transgender, bisexual, gay and queer students, prom can also be stressful. Many students are not able to bring their date of choice because of gender or sexual orientation. Many also are not able to wear clothes that make them feel comfortable or reflect who they are. MSSC’s Second Chance Prom offers one night a year when students and young people are able to have the prom experience while not worrying so much about their gender identity or sexual orientation being an issue.

The first Second Chance Prom in Mississippi was held in 2009 in Meridian, MS by Mississippi State University’s student organization, Spectrum, with help from the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition. In 2010, MSSC took the lead on the prom following the news rush surrounding Ceara Sturgis and Constance McMillen. That year, the prom hosted more than 400 folks in Tupelo, MS. The following year, MSU’s Delta Omega Lambda co-hosted the prom at the Mississippi State University Campus.

Posted in Anna C., Events, Media, Press Release, Second Chance Prom | No Comments »

MSSC is looking to start a new adult ally discussion group

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

written by Anna C. Davis (anna@mssafeschools.org)

If you are a parent, teacher, staff member or other supportive adult ally, MSSC is hoping to get some feedback from you and offer support. Much of our work over the past four years has focused on empowering youth. We know that youth are empowered and are building their own capacity to create change in their areas, but your help is greatly needed.

Many students from across the state  who want to start gay straight alliances face a major obstacle in locating supportive adults. Many schools require a faculty advisor or sponsor for student organizations. Many times these faculty members face criticism from their school and community and also may fear that they will lose their job.

We are trying to combat and address these fears to better help serve our communities. We want to start an informal discussion group including parents, teachers, and other adults who work with young people. If you would be interested in participating or helping to lead this discussion group please contact me at anna@mssafeschools.org

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