[NEWS] strictly fyi: WA, NY, Twitter

(2) Bullying & Suicide training & Train-the-Trainer Opportunity (March 14; Spokane, WA)

(3) Tacoma/Seattle/ South Sound - Israeli Leaders Convening - Panel and Dialogue (March 15; Tacoma, WA)

(8) Breaking through Cultural Barriers: How Religion Impacts Systems (April 4; Renton, WA)

(10) Power Of Hope Summer Camp Now Accepting Applications (Summer 2012; Seattle, WA)

Lots of adults say "it will get better,€ but what about right now? The goal of Make It Better Now is to help you develop and practice the skills necessary to do better NOW for no cost. Each week we will meet for about an hour and cover one topic. All you have to do to be a part of Make It Better Now is start coming to the groups! Anyone at Lambert House can participate (ages 11 to 22). You will get the most out of the group if you are willing to practice the skills outside of the group, but this is not required. Coming to Lambert House WEDNESDAY NIGHTS from 6:00-7:00 PM on March 14, March 28,

April 11, April 25, May 9, May 23. Lambert House is a substance free organization. Contact

(2) Bullying & Suicide training & Train-the-Trainer Opportunity (March 14; Spokane, WA)

The 3 hr. morning session, 8 a.m. €“ 11 a.m., will be an open training on bullying and suicide prevention. Some of our objectives are: Learn more about what YOU can do to prevent and intervene in bullying & bias based harassment (as it pertains to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth) in your school, community organization, and family.; Discover the links bullying experiences have with long term, negative mental health outcomes, including risk for depression and suicide.; Learn the warning signs for suicide and the 3 early intervention steps of: Show You Care, Ask the Question, and Get Help

The 3 hr. afternoon session, 12 p.m. €“ 3 p.m. will be reserved for those who are interested in becoming trainers for Safe from Bullies: Saving Lives. In the train-the-trainer session: get trained as a Safe from Bullies trainer and bring this important information back to your school or organization.

(3) Tacoma/Seattle/ South Sound - Israeli Leaders Convening - Panel and Dialogue (March 15; Tacoma, WA)

The Rainbow Center and Oasis Youth Center (Tacoma, WA) are excited to announce a convening with U.S. Pacific Northwest and Israeli LGBT leaders on Thursday, March 15, 2012. In this convening you will hear about the work of Israeli LGBT youth, family, and education organizations directly from the top leaders in the field, and engage in lively comparative discussion of the Pacific Northwest and Israeli contexts and the programs being deployed in the location. This represents a unique opportunity for professional development and international learning and relationship building. Co-Presenters include leaders with A Wider Bridge, Hoshen, Israeli Gay Youth, Oasis Youth Center, Rainbow Center, and Tehila. Co-Sponsors include Israeli Consulate General to the Pacific Northwest and Stand With Us Northwest.

What: Tacoma/Seattle/ South Sound - Israeli Leaders Convening - Panel and Dialogue

With gay marriage in the news spotlight, it's important that youth educators know how to support all young people equitably. All children and youth need to feel safe and accepted. Join us and learn how to prepare for, and implement, a Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) in your community. In this workshop you will learn the following: How to assess your community for readiness; How to build community will; How to structure and start a GSA; and How to evaluate your work. Click here to register or contact Regina with any questions, or for more information.

Bullying Prevention Twitter Live Chat, March 20, 2012, presented by HHS, ED, and the Anti-Defamation League Experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service€™s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Education€™s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will present a Twitter Live Chat on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, from 3:00 pm until 4:00 pm ET via Twitter. Learn from experts about the importance of bullying prevention, the value of programs, policies, and practices based upon the best available evidence, and resources available to assist parents and schools in their prevention and intervention efforts.

The ˜Life Gets Better Together conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth advocacy will take place on Saturday, March 24, on the Syracuse University campus in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Designed to empower participants in the fight against LGBTQ-based bullying, the conference will include a series of workshops and a keynote panel. It will conclude on Saturday evening with an a cappella concert in Hendricks Chapel to benefit The Trevor Project, with SU a cappella groups coming together for a musical celebration of all identities.

The workshops will be facilitated by University faculty, graduate and doctoral students, along with panelist members State Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, and communications expert and media activist Cathy Renna. Topics include the impact of digital technologies in LGBTQ activism, the unique social and political issues faced by trans people, reduction of stigma in schools, advocacy and therapy for LGBTQ youth, media advocacy and more. The afternoon panel will focus on representations of LGBTQ youth in politics and the media. Renna and O'Donnell will join associate professor and chair of the Newhouse School's Department of Public Relations Brenda Wrigley in this discussion.

The conference is free and open to the public. Registration is available online. The conference begins at 10 a.m. with complimentary breakfast and a networking session in the Newhouse 3 lobby. The first session of workshops kicks off at 11 a.m., with the conference schedule concluding at 5:50 p.m. Tickets are required for the 8 p.m. a cappella concert and can be purchased for $5 at the Schine Box Office in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center.

For more information, contact Deanna Payson at dmpayson@syr.edu or 508-244-7579, or visit www.lifegetsbettertogether.com. Participants can join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GLSEN Washington State will be having a Seattle/Puget Sound Regional Summit. The tentative date is Saturday, March 31st, 2012 at Meadowbrook Community Center at 10517 35th Avenue Northeast Seattle, WA 98125 from 9 -2. As the final contracts are not signed, the date and location are still tentative. Please put it on your calendar. Regional conferences serve to help GSA groups network with each other, gain information, plan group activities, set goals, and encourage participation in activities that further our goal of safer school environments for all students. Student Sessions Include: Youth Suicide Prevention, What's in My Future?, LGBTQ Youth Activism, GLSEN Events/Days of Action (Including Day of Silence Training), Introduction to PFLAG, Queers in Hip Hop, Pizza Klatch, Self Defense Essentials! To register, click here!! If you registered before, please re-register for this event. For More Information please email joe@wagsa.org.

(8) Breaking through Cultural Barriers: How Religion Impacts Systems (April 4; Renton, WA)

The one-day Uniting for Youth Training Institute will introduce attendees to local best practice models in systems integration, and why now, more than ever, it is important for child serving systems to work together to strengthen families. Individual workshops will offer in depth information on the roles, responsibilities, and services offered through Children€™s Administration, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Developmental Disabilities, Education, Juvenile Court/Detention/Probation, and Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration. The specialized break out session€™s highlight programs and practices within King County that promote collaborative and effective practice. Register HERE!!

Where: Puget Sound Educational Service District Blackriver Training & Conference Center @

Each year the Seattle Youth Commission, hosts a city-wide Youth Town Hall specifically to connect teenagers to the Mayor and City Council. This year the Youth Town Hall will be held on Saturday, April 7th at City Hall in the Bertha Knight Landes room (601 5th Ave, ground floor), and the Youth Commissioners will be joined by Mayor Mike McGinn, Council President Sally Clark, and Councilmembers Nick Licata and Tim Burgess. This will be an excellent opportunity for the young people you work with to engage directly with the City€™s elected officials.

(10) Power Of Hope Summer Camp Now Accepting Applications (Summer 2012; Seattle, WA)

Power of Hope is currently accepting applications for our 2012 summer camps. POH summer camp is a transformative, eight-day camp for kids who want to explore the arts and find greater self- awareness. How You Can Help: -Pass out camp brochures to your youth-Invite us to speak to your youth-Invite us to do a demo of our programming for your youth-Connect us with your youth through phone or e-mail Please keep in mind that POH has scholarship opportunities for youth. For more infor reach POH at 206-938-6090 or poh@powerofhope.org

Safe Schools Coalition
c/o Rosehedge
1401 East Jefferson Street, Suite 401
Seattle, WA 98122

- - - - - - - - - -

About this Listserv

To SUBSCRIBE to the Safe Schools Coalition's IMPORTANTNEWS List, which averages 2 messages/week including only: urgent messages, action items, SSC meeting minutes

To SUBSCRIBE to the Safe Schools Coalition's NEWS List, which averages 2 messages/day including THOSE SAME THINGS plus: events (conferences, courses, rallies, TV specials, activism opportunities) , resources (books, DVDs, scholarships, curricula, and more), jobs and volunteer and internship opportunities, news digests, opinion digests.

To UNSUBSCRIBE or
To SWITCH LISTS (from NEWS to IMPORTANT NEWS or vice versa) or
To CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS, if you are already a subscriber,
GO TO http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/listsub.asp

The Safe Schools Coalition is a public-private partnership of 60+ organizations (government agencies, schools, community agencies, churches, youth/student groups, gay/lesbian groups, human rights groups) and 100+ individuals working to help schools become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Safe Schools' website: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org
Safe Schools' blog: http://safeschoolscoalition.blogspot.com/
Join SSC's group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43732067796
Join SSC's group on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1110307
Follow SSC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/safeschoolsc

Got a problem at school with anti-gay harassment?

1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) 24 hours a day - the phone line is answered at the Sexual Assault Hotline and they will have a Safe Schools Coalition Intervention Specialist volunteer get back to you within 24 hours. Or contact us by email (click here: Intervention) http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/contact/?id=10 and we will respond within 24 hours.

Beth Reis, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 206-296-4970
Michelle Munro, not representing a member org
Mo Lewis, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center
Matthew Wilson, Oasis/Pierce County AIDS Foundation

Heather Carter, Youth Suicide Prevention Program
Frank Couch, Science & Management of Addictions Foundation
Penny Palmer, not representing a member org

Beth Reis for Action Items, Resource messages (books, films, curricula, etc.), Professional Journal messages and Help Needed by Reporters/Authors, Researchers, and Member Organizations
Corey Bernstein and Robyn Walters for News messages
Nik Donia for Event messages
Open position for Jobs, Internships, and Volunteer Opportunity messages
Ryan Schwartz for Right Wing Watch messages
Julie Parmenter for Opinion (blogs, editorials, letters to the editor) messages
Colleen Mullins for Lesson Planning Guide messages
Gabi Clayton for Legislative/Elective messages and Fundraising* messages
* Note: Fundraising messages are only sent for member organizations.

Send Events to be Posted on the Safe Schools Coalition Calendar!

Buy cool Safe Schools Coalition T-Shirts & Gear

This message has been distributed as a free, non-profit informational service, to members of the Coalition and others who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. Please do not publish or post in a public place on the Internet, copyrighted material without attribution. Forwarding of this material should not necessarily be construed as an endorsement of the content.