The Advocacy Council for Human Rights » Youth

Equality Illinois Seeks Help with Anti-Bullying Project

ACHR Staff — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:55:55 +0000

Equality Illinois will be conducting an Anti-Bullying Pledge Drive in Chicago, Springfield, and Bloomington-Normal at the end of July. We are asking Illinoisans to sign a pledge stating they will intervene when they see anti-LGBTQ harassment at school, at work, and in their neighborhoods. A major part of this drive is to inspire young adults to become more active in LGBTQ rights activism.

In order to make this project fully realized, we need the people of Bloomington-Normal’s help! If you are 18 to 25 years old, and agree that no person should be bullied because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity, help us get these pledges! We need a total of about 10 volunteers to get pledges signed on Friday, July 29th and spread the word about the Student Non-Discrimination Act, a national bill that would prohibit bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity in K-12 schools.

If you are interested, have questions about this project, or have any input, contact the project coordinator, Ben Serrano, at bserrano@eqil.org or 773-477-7173.

Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance to Sponsor Open House

ACHR Staff — Fri, 06 May 2011 03:39:15 +0000

The Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance is hosting an informational open house at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 6 in room 1407 of the Community Commons Building at Heartland Community College.

The alliance (CISSA) is a local group dedicated to helping junior high and high school youth develop to their fullest potential in safe and nurturing schools that respect and honor differences. We are growing in big ways, but we need your help! CISSA members are committed to helping lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and their allies. To this end, they offer support to local high school gay-straight alliance groups, and also plan and host a variety of social and educational events throughout the year to foster education, understanding and social opportunities for all youth.

To do the work necessary to achieve these goals, CISSA is looking for more people to get involved in this exciting mission. The open house is for all people interested in learning more about the organization or finding ways in which they can help. We need youth and adults to keep this successful organization active in Bloomington and Normal. This Open House will be interactive and fun! Don’t miss it!

Some exciting upcoming events CISSA members are planning include a social and educational event: “A Gay Affair,” in early June for local high school students, as well as a youth panel discussion and forum this fall. We need help from students and adults alike to organize and host these events.

If you’ve been looking for a way to help support and nurture LGBT youth and their allies, please consider coming to the CISSA Open House on May 6^th to get more information. We look forward to seeing you! Please contact Suzie Hutton (huttons@district87.org) or Alyssa Mandula (amandul@ilstu.edu) for more information.

Local Groups Serve our LGBTQA Community

ACHR Staff — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 06:47:08 +0000

The Bloomington/Normal LGBTQA community is fortunate to have a number of groups that meet regularly to address specific needs of our community members. They include:

Open Door Youth Center – open to all LGBTQSI area youth 13-18 years old
Transgender Support Group
Female to Male Transgender/GenderQueer Process Group
Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance
Support Group for Persons Living With AIDS
Men N2 Men Support Group
Gay and Bisexual Men’s Process Group
Central Illinois Bi Women’s Social Group
ISU Triangle Association (employee group)
Pride, a State Farm Employee Resource Group (employee group)
ISU Pride (student group)
IWU Pride Alliance (student group)

For more information about these groups please see the calendar section of our newsletter or check out the links section of our ACHR website.

Update from Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (CISSA)

ACHR Staff — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 05:07:46 +0000

CISSA, the Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, has a goal this year of providing each area public high school with a School Safety Kit to promote anti-bullying techniques. In light of the recent suicides of teens and young adults who have been bullied because of sexual orientation, CISSA members are more determined than ever to do what they can to ensure that every high school student in Bloomington-Normal feels safe in their school.

CISSA is also reaching out to area high school Gay-Straight Alliance sponsors, offering a place for professionals to collaborate and problem solve in the continuous mission to cultivate and help GSAs thrive. GSA sponsors from Bloomington High School, Normal Community High School, Normal Community West High School and University High School have all expressed interest in attending CISSA meetings with GSA student representatives to get more support for their clubs.

Social events are always popular among the younger members of CISSA, and plans are already underway for the upcoming holiday party in December and an Alternative Prom in May.

New LGBTQ Youth Project in Bloomington/Normal

ACHR Staff — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:37:03 +0000

A new youth project aimed at GLBTQ young people between the ages of 14 and 23 is coming to Bloomington/Normal.

The Me, Myself & I Youth Project is dedicated to educating and empowering Bloomington-Normal’s GLBTQ youth and their straight allies in a safe and diverse environment. By providing support, education and referral services, as well as a place where they can be safe to explore their inner selves, the Me, Myself & I Youth Project helps GLBTQ youth become more comfortable with themselves, their sexuality, and their place in society.

Formed in 2009, Me, Myself & I Youth Project is currently recruiting interested persons who would like to volunteer. Founded by Berry Stevenson and assisted by Edward Sinclair Bruner, both long-time GLBTQ & HIV prevention advocates in Bloomington-Normal & Illinois, MMI Youth Project is especially interested in students & adults that are interested in serving on the Board of Directors.

An informational get-together will be held in August. For more information or to see how you can help, please contact Berry Stevenson at youthdirector09@yahoo.com.