TRAINING SERIES
Rainbow Connections Master Class Series for learning communities
Allies in Action: Supporting GSAs and Cultivating Empowerment and Leadership of LGBTQ+ Students
Rainbow Clubs, Everyone Belongs, and Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs)—also known as Gender and Sexuality Alliances—are vital spaces for connection, advocacy, and leadership among LGBTQ+ students and their allies. This 1-hour interactive session offers resources for new and prospective advisors, plus creative activities and inspiration for current club leaders. Educators and school staff will learn strategies to co-create vibrant, student-led spaces that nurture belonging, empowerment, and joy. Participants will explore practical tools for building inclusive environments, amplifying student voices, and addressing common challenges. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, attendees will leave with concrete steps to launch or refresh a club, cultivate LGBTQ+ youth leadership, and expand the club’s positive impact on school culture.
Learning objectives
- Describe the core purpose of GSAs and explain how they support student wellness, foster leadership, and contribute to safer, more inclusive school environments.
- Apply at least two strategies to encourage youth ownership, collaboration, and authentic decision-making in student-led club activities.
- Identify and implement approaches for navigating common challenges, including lack of administrative support, limited resources, and community pushback, using advocacy tools.
- Demonstrate active allyship skills and model ways to equip students to act as allies for each other within and beyond the club space.
Course Curriculum
Allies in Action: Supporting GSAs and Cultivating Empowerment and Leadership of LGBTQ+ Students
Free Access
- Webinar Recording
- Webinar Slides
Presenters
Angela Soto Cerros
Angela Soto Cerros (they/them & elle/ella) is a Hispanic person who hopes to inspire others by implementing their own lived experiences for community advocacy, educational training, and being a peer mentor. Angela’s lived experiences bring a wealth of understanding of the stigma, challenges, and needs surrounding growing up in a low-income, traditional Hispanic household, a first generation graduate, LGBTQ+ person, existing with mental health conditions. Angela graduated in 2023 from the California State University of Monterey Bay with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. They were also involved as a Youth Advisory Board member with the “Never a Bother”, a suicide prevention campaign, launched by the California Department of Public Health Office of Suicide Prevention. As the Rainbow Connections Wellness Outreach & Engagement Coordinator from The Epicenter of Monterey County. Angela helps connect youth, ages 14-24, to resources regarding housing, employment, education, mental health and wellness. They are also certified as a Welcoming Schools Facilitator, an anti-bullying training program, to create safer school environments for youth in Monterey County.
Meggie Pina
Meggie Pina (she/her) is a Queer Chicana multidisciplinary artist, advocate, and community organizer who believes in the power of creative expression and connection to transform lives. As Director of Programs at The Diversity Center, she leads a dynamic team delivering LGBTQ+ affirming programming across Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Meggie holds a B.S. in Child & Family Development from San Diego State University and brings over 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, community engagement, and large-scale event production. She is also a certified Welcoming Schools Facilitator. She supports GSA, QSA, and Rainbow Clubs in schools, fostering inclusive spaces and mentoring LGBTQ+ youth. Meggie designs culturally grounded Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curricula for K–12 students, educators, and families. Her approach blends activism with radical self-love grounded in community care, joy, and a strong commitment to collective healing and liberation.
The Gender Health Training Institute está aprobado por la Asociación Americana de Psicología para ofrecer educación continua a psicólogos. El Gender Health Training Institute mantiene la responsabilidad de este programa y de su contenido.
