Town Hall Project

Overview

The Town Hall Project builds on successes in Iowa and Massachusetts where local movements brought attention to sexual orientation and gender identity issues relating to youth in schools, through statewide support of local planning committees’ design and implementation of Town Hall meetings. As a partnership with youth statewide and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois the Town Hall Project features youth and school personnel testimony and are attended by local community members and stakeholders including the school board, local elected officials and school administrators.

Heartland Safe Schools Initiative

The Heartland Safe Schools Initiative (HSSI), based in Peoria, IL, is a group of local citizens and organizations concerned about the safety and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in our local schools.

HSSI recognizes that:

Anti-LGBT bullying and harassment is pervasive in our schools
LGBT youth have increased adverse outcomes when compared with their non-gay peers, specifically in mental health, school safety and academic measures
School personnel are often ill-equipped or unequipped to address and prevent anti-LGBT Bullying and harassment in the school environment
Students report feeling much safer in schools and school districts where the administration adopts a program with:
- policies inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity,
- training for school personnel,
- support for Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs)

HSSI is currently in the process of:

Reaching out to other concerned citizens and organizations in and around Peoria, including students, parents and schools
Planning our second safe schools forum
Organizing professional development for school personnel and social service providers in the Peoria area
Providing support and technical assistance for GSAs

For more information and/or to join with us, please email heartlandsafeschools@gmail.com

Please include your contact information along with your request.

Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance

Who We Are

The Central Illinois Safe School Alliance (CISSA) is a coalition based in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, that includes area youth, parents, educators, and other individuals and organizations that seek to end the bullying of students in our schools because of their sexual orientation or gender identity (anti-gay bullying). Although other groups in the area do general anti-bullying education, we focus on the youth who are usually left out of such programs—youth of all racial, religious, ability, or appearance groupings who are or are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).

Our Mission

CISSA promotes the safety and well-being of all youth in area P-12 and post secondary schools, including LGBT youth. CISSA works to increase the awareness of administrators, faculty and staff, students, parents, and the community about the negative social, emotional, and academic consequences of anti-gay bullying and provide programs designed to prevent bullying of students based upon actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. CISSA also addresses the ways in which sexual orientation and gender identity are linked to other aspects of identity such as race, religion, ability, social class, and appearance.

Our Goals

To provide safe and supportive school environments, free from fear of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence for all students, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.

To increase collaboration among schools, parents, students, citizens, and community organizations to incorporate anti-LGBT bullying into their school safety programs and policies.

To serve as a community resource by providing programming related to our mission.

To develop and promote consistent anti-bullying policies and procedures throughout the Bloomington-Normal area that are inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

For more information and/or to join with us, please email cissa-bn@gmail.com