The Queer Youth Task Force of Santa Cruz County, Safe Schools Project, and Our Gente (a program of the Epicenter of Monterey County) are proud to present a supportive space for LGBTQIA2S+ and allied youth in Monterey, San Benito, & Santa Cruz Counties.
Cosmic Queerness: An Affirming Universe
Saturday, September 27, 2025
9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Watsonville High School, Watsonville
Click the link to take you to this section of the page:
- Introduction
- Summit Theme
- Registration
- Schedule
- Workshops Announced
- T-shirt Design Announced
- Community Service Hours
- Accessibility Information
- Learn About the Summit Organizers
- LGBTQIA2S+ Youth Programming in Monterey, San Benito & Santa Cruz County
- Parent/Guardian, Educators & Adult Allies Conference -- “Understanding Gender”
- Partners, Supporters, & Sponsors
- Flyers
- Volunteer at the Summit
- Archives of Past Summits
All High School & Middle School LGBTQIA2S+, Questioning, & Allied Students Welcome!
The Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast is thrilled to be back for our Fall 2025 event on Saturday, September 27th from 9:30am to 2:00pm at Watsonville High School! This year our theme is “Cosmic Queerness: An Affirming Universe.” Join youth from Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties as we come together to celebrate all identities and work towards a safer and more inclusive future for everyone under the LGBTQIA2S+ umbrella!
A free summit that is led by youth leaders from the tri-county area. This upcoming summit will provide students the opportunity to:
- Experience workshops created by fellow youth and community organizers.
- Meet students from throughout Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, and San Benito County -- from Watsonville, Salinas, Soledad, Monterey, San Juan Bautista to Scotts Valley -- who are working to help create safer schools in their communities!
- Have access to a resource fair which provides useful support for LGBTQIA2S+ youth, allies, and families.
- Empower and liberate lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, trans, non-binary, queer, intersex, asexual, questioning, and allied youth.
- The first 150 students who register will receive a personalized goodie bag and free t-shirt with a custom design!
Breakfast, Snacks, and Lunch Provided!
Rainbow masks provided at registration!
Find us on Facebook
For questions, contact:
- Monterey County: Angela Soto-Cerros (they/them), Rainbow Connections Wellness Outreach and Engagement Coordinator of The Epicenter / angela@epicentermonterey.org or (831) 998-7291
- Santa Cruz County: Tyra Williams (she/her), Coordinator, Queer, Trans, and Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast / CoordinateSummit@gmail.com or (831) 427-4004
The Fall 2025 Summit theme is "Cosmic Queerness: An Affirming Universe”
About the Theme: Students from the Fall 2025 Student Summit Planning Committee have chosen the theme as “Cosmic Queerness: An Affirming Universe”
Theme Statement written by the Fall 2025 Student Summit Planning Committee:
The Queer Community can be described by its defining features such as accepting others, finding ourselves, and never giving up. We can also be explained by our night sky. The constellations represent groups; queer people come from and originate in every culture. The Muxes from México and Māhū from Hawaii are both groups of indigenous populations who we can historically trace to a non-conformative gender diversity within their constellations. These constellations are then broken down into stars, better known as the individuals themselves like Harvey Milk, RuPaul, Chappell Roan, Sarah McBride, and Demi Lovato. Each star expresses importance through their unique shine, a leading light of the Queer Community in our dark, vast space. All of these aspects gather to illuminate the path of an affirming future. Join us on this path to explore the night sky while celebrating the Queer Community with your peers.
![5[1]](https://safeschoolsproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/51-scaled.png "5[1]")
- Save your spot at the Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast - Fall 2025!
- Registration helps us prepare food (breakfast, snacks, and lunch), goodie-bags, and more!
- The first 150 students to register receive a free Summit t-shirt!
- Registration extended to Thursday, September 25 by 5:00 if possible.
Schedule for Student Summit
- 9:30-10:00 am: Check-in, Breakfast & Resource Fair
- 10:00-10:10 am: Transition
- 10:10-10:40 am: Welcome & Keynote Speakers
- 10:40-10:50 am: Transition
- 10:50-11:20 am: Caucuses
- 11:20-11:30 am: Transition
- 11:30 am – 12:20 pm: Workshop Session #1
- 12:20-12:30 pm: Transition
- 12:30-1:20 pm: Workshop Session #2
- 1:20-1:30 pm: Closing Ceremony
- 1:30-2:00 pm: Catered Lunch & Resource Fair
- 2:00 pm: End
Some workshops are only offered during one session, while some are offered during both sessions.
Helpful tips for selecting workshops:
- Take some time to check the schedule of workshops and choose which ones you want to attend to ensure they are offered each session.
- Workshops are full and will close when there are 30 students in the room. It’s good to have a backup workshop chosen for each session in case your first choice is full.
Here’s a sneak peek of all the workshops...
Caucuses
10:50-11:20 am: A Caucus is a group discussion about shared experiences on any particular topic.
Workshops Session # 1
Workshops Session # 2
Congratulations to 2025 Summit T-shirt Designer Charlee, he/him, Student, Rancho San Juan High School, Salinas!
Accessibility Information
If you require anything accessibility-related (e.g.: sign language interpretation, captioning, or any other accommodations) please contact us at CoordinateSummit@gmail.com
Specific accommodation requests should be made by September 19, 2025.
The Safe Schools Project, a program of the Queer Youth Task Force, is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. Please contact us to request accessibility accommodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
Learn About the Summit Organizers
Fall 2025 Student Summit Planning Committee
- Alice
- Hi, my name is Alice and I use They/Them. I attend Los Gatos Highschool as a sophomore. This is my first year being involved with the summit. (As a guest and an organizer!)
- Cadence
- I’m Cadence, and my pronouns are she/ her. I am the co-president of Pacific Collegiate School and leadership of my Queer Intersectional Alliance. This was my first year working on and attending the summit, and I am so happy to have been a part of it!
- Carlos
- What’s up!! My name is Carlos Joel González, he/him, I’m co-president of Watsonville High School’s GSA and helped organize this event you’re at, have fun!!
- Ellie
- Hello! My name is Ellie and I use any pronouns. This is my 3rd year being a guest at The Queer Summit. This is my first year as an organizer.
LGBTQIA2S+ Youth Programs in Monterey, San Benito & Santa Cruz Counties
Diversity Center Youth Program -- Watsonville & Santa Cruz
Our Gente, a program of the Epicenter -- Salinas
Queer Trans Health 831+
Queer Youth Updates - Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties
LGBTQIA+ & Ally Youth Calendar — 2025-2026
Check out the 2025-2026 LGBTQIA+ Youth Calendar -- TBA soon!
Additionally, the Safe Schools Project is proud to present...
Parent/Guardian, Educators & Adult Allies Conference
Understanding Gender
A free bilingual conference for parents, guardians, adult allies, and educators who want a deeper understanding of gender and youth in Monterey, San Benito, & Santa Cruz Counties.
Saturday, September 27th, 2025
9:30 am - 2:00 pm
Watsonville High School, Watsonville
Find us on Facebook
Simultaneous Spanish Translation provided
About the Parent/Guardian & Adult Allies Conference
Understandings of gender are changing rapidly and it can be challenging to keep up! All children are limited by traditional gender roles and stereotypes, whether they are transgender, gender expansive, or not. Parents, guardians, educators, and adult allies play a crucial role in creating a safe and supportive environment for all young people around their gender. We hope you’ll join us for a day of learning, conversation, and reflection about youth and gender!
We hope you’ll join us for a day of learning, conversation, and reflection about youth and gender.
Learn more about the Parent/Guardian, Educators, and Adult Allies Workshop
Questions? Contact the Parent/Guardian Conference organizers at Gendersummitsc@gmail.com or call (831) 427-4004.
Presented by TransFamilies of Santa Cruz County and the Safe Schools Project of Santa Cruz County
Creating gender sensitive and inclusive environments for all children and teens
Summit Partners, Supporters, & Sponsors
Sponsored, in part, by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education (SCCOE), Gender Spectrum, and additional community organizations in Monterey, San Benito, & Santa Cruz Counties. Please check our complete list of partners, supporters, and sponsors -- thank you!
Sponsorship Opportunities
For information on how to become a sponsor at the Fall 2025 Summit, please email us at CoordinateSummit@gmail.com or call (831) 427-4004
Thank you Bay Federal Credit Union!
- Special thank you to Bay Federal Credit Union who has volunteered for the Summit since 2019. In 2021, Bay Federal assembled and distributed over 160 summit goodie bags for the Fall 2021 Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Virtual Summit of the Central Coast! Their continued support of the Summit, helping with registration in 2019, with the virtual summit in 2020 and 2021, and once again volunteering in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, is a tremendous boost and support.
Student Summit Flyer Download
Please help spread the word by sharing via social media to your followers and fellow community members -- help us reach students in Monterey, San Benito, & Santa Cruz Counties! Thank you.
Rainbow Conference Outreach Hub Flyers Download
For downloadable PNGs and PDFs of all of our Student Summit & Rainbow Conference flyers and Instagram infographics, visit our Fall 2025 Student Summit/Rainbow Conference Outreach Hub on the Safe Schools Project Website!
Volunteer at the Summit
Please help us make the Summit run smoothly. We are looking for volunteers to help with a few aspects of the event and if you have an hour or two to spare during the day of the event between 7:15 am – 3:00 pm on Saturday, September 27th, 2025 at Watsonville High School in Watsonville, please contact contact the Fall 2025 Summit Volunteer Coordinator at CoordinateSummit@gmail.com or (831) 427-4004.
The Summit is providing transportation or arranging carpools for volunteers who sign up for multiple volunteer shifts. Please let us know in the sign up form if you need a ride or can offer a ride. Thank you!
Check out the volunteer opportunities:
Archives of Past Summits
Student Summits
- 2024: Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast -- Fall 2024
- 2023: Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast — Fall 2023
- 2022: Queer, Trans, & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast — Fall 2022
- 2021: Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast -- Fall 2021
- 2020: Queer, Trans & Allied Student Virtual Summit of the Central Coast -- Fall 2020
- 2020: Spring 2020 Student Summit
- 2019: Fall 2019 Student Summit
- 2019: Spring 2019 Student Summit
- 2017: Student Summit
- 2016: Student Summit
- 2015: Student Summit
Parent/Guardian & Adult Allies Summits
- 2024: Parent/Guardian & Adult Allies Summit -- Fall 2024
- 2023: Parent/Guardian & Adult Allies Virtual Summit — Fall 2023
- 2022: Parent/Guardian & Adult Allies Virtual Summit — Fall 2022
- 2021: Parent/Guardian & Adult Allies Virtual Summit -- Fall 2021
- 2020: Parent/Guardian Summit -- Fall 2020
- 2020: Spring 2020 Parent/Guardian Summit
- 2019: Fall 2019 Parent/Guardian Summit
Glitter Kids Camp
The Safe Schools Project is a program of the Queer Youth Task Force of Santa Cruz County.