The Mazonni Center’s Ally Safe Schools Program announced the publication of a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) handbook earlier this month. The handbook aims to help high-school students, teachers and advocates for young people, local and abroad, with starting a GSA or strengthening an already-established organization at their own schools.
The 22-page booklet is small enough in size to fit into a back pocket, and it outlines what it takes to create and maintain a successful GSA. The handbook was designed to be practical, portable and convenient for students to have on hand as a reference.
The Ally Safe Schools Program at Mazzoni Center has been around since 1997. The main goal of the program is to create safer school environments for LGBTQ youth, due to the fact that they are the most frequently targeted group for bullying.
However, according to Elisabeth Flynn, senior communications manager at the Mazzoni Center, the program is advantageous for all students.
“The benefit is for really any kid who is different,” Flynn said. “Having an environment that fosters safety, inclusivity, support and safe schools generally helps kids be allies to one another, and gives people the tools to know how to handle bullying situations.”
The inspiration for the GSA handbook, titled “How to Build a FIERCE GSA,” stemmed from citywide GSA meetings for schools in Philadelphia and a conference with day-long workshops to help build student leadership in schools.
“Students involved in the student leadership board were thinking about the qualities of a GSA and outlining what creates a ‘fierce’ GSA,” Flynn said. “They wanted to spread the idea of the ‘fierce’ GSA more broadly and figure out what would be the most practical way to accomplish that.”
FIERCE serves as an acronym for the qualities that these students felt were essential for creating and maintaining a successful GSA: Fearless, Inclusive, Encourage leadership, Recruitment, Community-building and Execute goals. Flynn expressed that this publication will aid in not only founding GSAs in schools, but will also help with the maintenance of GSAs as programs evolve over time.
“As students leave and graduate, leadership changes,” Flynn said. “Maybe the group has gotten flat and they need new ideas, or they run into a roadblock and they’re looking for wisdom or guidance, maybe some fresh ideas for schools. The FIERCE handbook can help with things like, how do we communicate to teachers why we’re vowing to be silent, or maybe can help spark creative ideas for something larger on a citywide basis.”
Part of the importance of the availability of the “FIERCE GSA” handbook lies in the fact that school funding is being cut, resources are scarce and students need all the support they can get.
“Resources are so thin, and people are overwhelmed from the day to day,” Flynn said. “If support isn’t available through the usual channels, this handbook might be a way for them to stay engaged and hopeful. I think a GSA can really be a resource for finding a network of support for kids and to help them get inspired and create change in their school.”
Students, teachers and anyone else interested can receive copies of “How to Build a FIERCE GSA” directly from the Mazzoni Center or access the publication online at www.mazzonicenter.org/FIERCE.
Matty Bennett is a second-year MFA candidate in creative writing at Virginia Tech.