Safe Schools Project

Resources for Queer Youth and Educators in Santa Cruz County

Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit — Fall 2019

Queer Youth Take Over the World

Saturday, October 5, 2019
9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Watsonville High School — Watsonville

All High School & Middle School LGBTQIA/Ally Students welcome!

  • Experience workshops put on by fellow youth and community resources.
  • Meet students throughout Santa Cruz County & Monterey County — from Watsonville and Salinas to Scotts Valley — who are working to help create safer schools in their community!
  • Breakfast, Snacks and Lunch Provided – Free
  • Resource Fair
  • and more

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Welcome from Watsonville High School Sexuality and Gender Acceptance (SAGA)

Watsonville High SAGA would like to welcome you to Watsonville! We are a club that has an emphasis on intersectionality, especially racial justice this year. Our goal as a club is to gain visibility in Watsonville, and to work on making a safe space for queer identifying young people and allies. Thank you for helping make this a reality! — Watsonville High School Sexuality and Gender Acceptance (SAGA)

Schedule for Student Summit

Workshops Announced!

Session 1

  • Art Space
  • Art for Activism Through Zines (Youth Led)
  • Clothing Swap and Alteration (Youth & Adult Led)
  • Healthy Relationships as Queer Folks, By Queer Folks (Adult Led)
  • How to Have a KickAss GSA (Adult Led)
  • Pain is Real but so is Hope (Youth Led)
  • Queer, Trans, and Intersex Inclusive Sex Ed (Adult Led)
  • QT 101: Introduction to Queer/Trans Concepts and Terminology (Adult Led)
  • The Hair Clique (Youth Led)

Session 2

  • Art Space
  • Coming Out (Youth & Adult Led)
  • Flavored Tobacco (Youth Led)
  • Gender Expression and Stereotypes Within the Queer Community (Youth Led)
  • Know Your Rights: Student Privacy (Adult Led)
  • Mental Health and LGBTQ+ Students (Youth Led)
  • Queer, Trans, and Intersex Inclusive Sex Ed (Adult Led)
  • Rainbow & LGBTQ Pride Flags Pumpkin Painting Workshop (Youth Led)
  • Self-Expression as Self-Care: Style & Beauty (Adult Led)

Keynote Speaker Announced!

City of Watsonville Mayor Francisco Estrada will be the keynote speaker — selected by the Watsonville SAGA club.

Mayor Francisco “Paco” Estrada was born and raised in Watsonville. Francisco is the son of immigrant parents that worked in the raspberry and strawberry fields for decades. As a child, Francisco attended H. A. Hyde Elementary School, Rolling Hills Middle School, Watsonville High School, and graduated from Aptos High School.

After completing his graduate work at San Jose State University, Francisco spent the next decade working for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, helping to provide low-income and at-risk Watsonville youth with vocational training and opportunities through the Sueños Program.

In his current role as Program Officer at the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, he oversees two new health collaboratives focused on addressing the social determinants of health, as well as managing the grant-making program. As a type-1 diabetic, Francisco is aware of the importance of promoting upstream medicine and bringing health equity to the residents of the Pajaro Valley.

In 2018, Francisco decided to run for the Watsonville City Council District 4 seat, which coincidentally, would also serve as mayor for the city in 2019. With help and support from friends and family, Francisco was able to win the election. Today, Francisco is focused on creating a healthy community where all residents can thrive.

In his spare time, Francisco volunteers as a mentor for the Aztecas Youth Soccer Program, as well as support Rotary International, and he teaches U.S. history at Hartnell College. He also loves to spend time with his beautiful wife and puppy.

Performance Announced!

Dance Team of Lakeview Middle School

Lakeview Middle School Dance Team returns to the Student Summit stage by popular request.
“No one has ownership of folklore, we all own it. Those who know it have the responsibility to pass it on. That is the tradition.” -Maestro José Tena

The dance team at Lakeview Middle School in Watsonville, CA is made up of 22 young, enthusiastic dancers that, through Mexican Ballet Folklorico, are learning and embracing their culture. This dance group was started last year by a young teacher who felt the responsibility of passing on this art, filled with historical roots, to a younger generation. The Dance Team was recognized by the City of Watsonville’s City Council for their participation and support of last year’s Queer, Trans, and Allied Student Summit.

Registration Open for Students

Save your spot at the Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit Now!

Registration Closed — Same Day Registrations Available!

Registration helps us with preparations for breakfast, snacks and lunch, plus printing name badges.

The Fall 2019 Summit theme is Queer Youth Take Over The World

For hundreds of years LGBT+ individuals have been silenced. We all know this. Today, media representation is almost never positive if existing, school curriculum censors LGBT+ parts of history, and has been known to represent us negatively in sex-ed. This makes it extremely difficult for youth to realize, accept, and express who they are, which often affects us negatively and leaves us suffering. We must end this cycle of invisibility. We, queer youth, must work to show the millions who are silenced that they, too, can be happy. They, too, can take over the world.

With the current state of politics, queer youth need to take back what was taken from us. We not only need to fight the patriarchy, but white supremacy and capitalism. When our community is under attack we must fight back.

— Queer, Trans & Allied Youth Council of Santa Cruz County

Community Service Hours for Students

Students who attend the Queer, Trans, and Ally Student Summit may be able to earn school credit for participating in the summit.

Summit participants engage in community building and help create a safer, more inclusive environment for LGBT+ and ally youth in Santa Cruz County. Participants also learn about a variety of topics related to the LGBT+ community that will help them gain a deeper understanding of LGBT+ experiences which will compliment school curriculum in the areas of history and health, among others.

Youth may also volunteer and present workshops which builds their interpersonal and communication skills.

If your school has a community service, volunteer, or similar requirement, talk to your school counselor to see if you can earn credit for attending the summit.

Be sure to bring any required paperwork or forms to be signed by Summit staff.

For more information contact Stuart Rosenstein, co-chair, Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit, or Jamie Cutter, M.Ed., English and Health Teacher, QSA Advisor and Safe School Lead, Delta High School at Cabrillo College at (831) 427-4004 or email

Parent/Guardian Workshops

Understanding Gender

A free conference for parents, guardians, and other adult allies who want a deeper understanding of gender and youth

Saturday, October 5, 2019
9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Watsonville High School — Watsonville

Light breakfast, snacks and lunch provided

Simultaneous Spanish Translation provided

Understandings of gender are changing rapidly and it can be challenging to keep up! Parents might believe that they only have to pay attention to their child’s gender if it falls outside of traditional gender norms. While it is true that transgender, non-binary, and otherwise gender-expansive children are particularly at risk, every child is limited by traditional gender roles and stereotypes. Parents and ally adults 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.

Presented by Gender Spectrum, 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

Call for Volunteers — Day of the Event

Please help us make the Summit run smoothly.

If you have an hour or two to spare during the day of the event between 7:00 am – 3:00 pm on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at Watsonville High School in Watsonville, please contact Oliver Cantrell, Fall 2019 Summit Volunteer Coordinator, at email or (831) 427-4004.

If you need credit for Community Service Hours, please share your address and any other details needed. We will mail out letters shortly after the event.

There are two Summits — the Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit & the Parent/Guardian Summit — both on the same day, time & location. Volunteers are needed for both.

To learn more about the many volunteer opportunities, visit the Fall 2019 Summit Volunteer Page.

Thank you!

Accessibility Information

If you require anything accessibility related (e.g.: sign language interpretation, captioning, accessible parking, specific dietary requirements, or any other accommodations) please contact Wren Reeve, (831) 427-4004, email

Specific accommodation requests should be made by February 13, 2019.

More than one contact method is useful, or at least an email address since not everyone uses the same communication methods.

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.

Welcome from Watsonville High School Principal Elaine Legorreta

“The Watsonville High School student population is 96% Latino made of 100% individuals.  That means we have over 2,000 unique students who define themselves in dozens of different ways.  We welcome the opportunity to host the Queer, Trans, and Allied Student Summit to celebrate that uniqueness with people from throughout Santa Cruz County.
While “acceptance” is one of the core values that we expect from our students, valuing everyone in every way is where we need to be.  When invited to host the Summit we jumped at the opportunity to listen, ask, learn, and share.  We are richer for our LGBT staff members and students, especially as they are able to be fully who they are in the classroom and out, yet we recognize there is growth needed to ensure everyone values our differences.
The Wildcatz welcome you to the fall 2019 Queer, Trans, and Allied Student Summit at Watsonville High School!
Let’s celebrate and learn from each other!”
— Elaine Legorreta (She/Her), Principal, Watsonville High School
     

LGBTIQA & Ally Youth Calendar — 2019-2020

Fall 2019

  • September: Welcome Back to School event
  • September 15: Santa Cruz County Queer Youth Council applications due 11:59pm
  • September 22-28: Bisexual Awareness Week
  • September 23: Celebrate Bisexuality Day
  • September 23-27: GLSEN Ally Week
  • October 5: Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit, Watsonville High School, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
  • October 7: First Santa Cruz County Queer Youth Council Meeting
  • October 11: National Coming Out Day
  • October 12: Salinas Valley Pride, Salinas
  • October 16: International Pronouns Day
  • October 17: Spirit Day
  • October 20-26: Asexual Awareness Week
  • October 26: Intersex Awareness Day
  • October 1-31: Queer History Month
  • October 1-31: National Bullying Prevention Month
  • November 13-19: Transgender Awareness Week
  • November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance
  • December 7: YES / Youth Empowerment Summit, San Francisco

Spring 2020

  • March 28: Queer Youth Conference, Salinas
  • April: National Day of Silence
  • April: Breaking the Silence Rally & March, Watsonville Main Plaza, Watsonville, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
  • April: Breaking the Silence Rally & March, Clock Tower, Santa Cruz, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
  • Spring: Queer Prom, Date & Location TBD
  • Spring: Triangle Speakers Training for Youth & Allies
  • May 1: Rainbow Tassels Project for graduating 8th grade and 12th grade students
  • May 9: 23rd Annual Queer Youth Leadership Awards, San Lorenzo Valley High School, Felton, 5:30-8:30 pm

Summer 2020

  • June: Santa Cruz Pride, Santa Cruz, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • July: Monterey Peninsula Pride, Monterey
  • July: Gender Spectrum Family Conference
  • August: Queer Camp Out, Diversity Center
  • August: Pajaro Valley Pride, Watsonville, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

 

Summit Sponsors

(L-R) Trisha Herrera, Summit Co-Coordinator, Andi Mellon, Summit Resource Fair Host, & Jen Salinas-Holz, Lakeview Middle School Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) Co-Advisor, at Lakeview Middle School

Thank You!

  • Superintendent Faris Sabbah, Santa Cruz County Office of Education
  • Superintendent Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, Pajaro Valley Unified School District
  • Superintendent Kris Munro, Santa Cruz City Schools
  • Principal Dr. Rosa Hernández, Lakeview Middle School
  • Trustee Adam Spickler, Cabrillo College
  • Trustee Gail Levine, San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District
  • Keith O. Johnson, M.A., Director of Student Equity & Success, Cabrillo College
  • Celine Cuneo, GSA Advisor, Watsonville High School Sexuality and Gender Acceptance (SAGA) GSA
  • Jen Salinas-Holz, Co-Advisor, Lakeview Middle School Queer Straight Alliance (QSA)
  • Pamela Wool, Director of Family Support and Administration, Gender Spectrum
  • Dr. Jen Hastings
  • Trisha Herrera, Summit Co-Coordinator
  • Andi Mellon, Summit Resource Fair Host
  • Reyes Warne, Summit Social Media Coordinator
  • Katé Wilson Designs, Summit Printed Program
  • and many more community leaders, chaperones, resource fair participants & volunteers!

Sponsored by the Safe Schools Project of Santa Cruz County, a program of the Queer Youth Task Force and co-sponsored by:

      

       

         

       

    

    

Volunteer or Sponsorship Opportunities

For information on how to become a volunteer or sponsor at the Spring 2019 Summit, please email us or call (831) 427-4004

Student Summit Flyer Download

Please help distribute flyers widely on campus and community. Thank you!

Download Student Summit — English Color Flyer

Download Student Summit — English Black/White Flyer

Download Student Summit — Spanish Color Flyer

Download Student Summit — Spanish Black/White Flyer

Summit Archives

Summit Press

  • Hear about the 2019 Spring Summit on KZSC’s Closet Free Radio: Learn more about the Summit from Trisha Herrera, Assistant Summit Coordinator, who was on the Feb 25 Closet Free Radio Show, one of the oldest LGBTQ radio shows in the United States. Stay tuned to Closet Free Radio every Monday night, 7:00-8:30 pm on KZSC at 88.1 FM.