By convening and connecting young people from all over the state, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance) creates both physical and digital spaces for students to inform, participate in, and lead the Illinois LGBTQ+ safer schools movement. From Youth Leadership Summits to Day of Silence and Night of Noise activities, to leading the movement for gender and racial justice through school- and community-based Genders and Sexualities Alliances (GSA) clubs, young people are working together to create spaces that support, affirm, and celebrate LGBTQ+ youth and their allies in Illinois schools and communities.
For more information or to explore how you or young people in your life can join the movement, please contact Julio Flores.
To access advocacy and support resources
by and for young people, please click here.
Day of Silence/Night of Noise: April
Each year, the Alliance supports youth organizing activities for the Day of Silence/Night of Noise (DoS/NoN) in Illinois. Day of Silence is a national student-led demonstration in April where LGBTQ+ students and allies take a vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in schools. Night of Noise events are organized locally throughout the state for communities to come together, break the silence, rally for the safer schools movement, and celebrate their own participation in Day of Silence. Each year, the Alliance provides Day of Silence kits to registered GSAs throughout the state containing Illinois-specific resources, locally developed DoS supplies, and curricular materials developed by the Alliance Youth Committee.
Registration for Day of Silence kits opens in coordination with our Annual Youth Leadership Summit every January.
For more information on Day of Silence, and for GLSEN-produced resources, please visit www.dayofsilence.org.
Action Camp: August
Our largest annual youth leadership convening, Action Camp is a 5-day sleepaway camp in August that brings together leaders from GSAs across the state to learn from one another and shape the safer schools movement. Planned in partnership with Youth Services’ Pride Youth Program since 2018, Action Camp is often described as “magical” because youth can see their identities reflected back at them, sharpen their critical lens, strengthen their anti-oppressive frameworks, and actively skill-share and practice what it means to create spaces in the world where all identities are safe, supported, affirmed, and celebrated. Action Camp is open to GSA leaders who are rising 8th graders through rising Seniors in high school.
Action Camp 2024 will run from July 29 through August 2, 2024. Applications to participate as a camper or a counselor are open and will remain open until April 30, 2024.
Click here for the camper application and here for the counselor application.
Thank you to our generous sponsors for Action Camp 2023:
- Talent Show Star: Wilson Sporting Goods, Co.
- Bunk Buddy: Casey J Horton
- Good Citizen: Early to Bed
Youth Leadership Summit: January
The Alliance hosts a Youth Leadership Summit each January focusing on support and technical assistance for Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), including GSA Day for Racial Justice organizing strategies, and Day of Silence/Night of Noise preparation. The Summits are opportunities for youth leaders and GSA advisors/sponsors to come together from across Illinois to organize, network, learn, and develop leadership skills within the movement for safer schools for LGBTQ+ identities.
Registration for our summit opens at the beginning of December each year.
To stay up-to-date on all Youth Organizing information, please follow the Alliance and the Illinois GSA Network on Facebook or Instagram.
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To learn about other ways the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance can help you promote safety, support, and healthy development for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth in Illinois schools and communities, click here.
