activism, advice, college, community, everyone is gay, finding community, gsa, GSAs, high school, kristin russo, lgbt, lgbt advice, school
"Every year I’m like ‘I should join the GSA!’ and every year I’m like ‘but there’s no point cramming it into my already nonstop busy schedule because they NEVER DO ANYTHING.’ What do I do?"
- Question submitted by Anonymous
Dannielle Says:
-______-
Join the GSA and do stuff… THAT WAS EASY.
But seriously you guys. At the very first meeting (usually the most popular) raise your hand and give them some suggestions. No one is gonna be mad at you for having good ideas. Literally sit there let them say all the stupid-boring-not-doin-anything-stuff they’re gonna say and raise your hand and say ‘i had some ideas for things that we could do this year, should i just say them now?’ and they’ll be like ‘uuhhh okay’ and then you give them this list:
1. Ice Cream Social
2. Bring Everyone is Gay here to do a school-wide event
3. Fundraiser
4. Skate party
5. Pizza Party
6. Movie Nights
7. Everyone is Gay webcast marathons
8. School-wide GSA T-Shirt design contest
9. GSA Alum come back and talk about college experiences
10. Everyone High Five at the end of every meeting.
Kristin Says:
Oh snap SHE TOLD YOU.
Here’s a thing, y’all: Shit ain’t ever gonna get done if Y’ALL DON’T DO IT.
I get that you are busy, I know how jam-packed a schedule can get, and you certainly shouldn’t overload yourself to the point of exhaustion. However, if you want to join the GSA, and you are bummed because ‘they’ never do anything, then just like Dannielle said DO. SOMETHING.
See that list up there? Maybe you are too busy for nine out of ten of those items. Pick one. Literally just pick one. Say, “I would like to set a goal for us this year and I have decided that it will be _______________.” Work toward that goal with the others in the GSA, and work together so that you all have different tasks. Make a list. Check it twice. NOW YOU’RE SANTA. BOOM.
Seriously, everyone. Making change doesn’t have to mean you give forty hours a week to running a non-profit organization. It doesn’t have to mean that you spend ten hours a week organizing a community wide protest of Chik-Fil-A. It can literally mean that you help the others in your GSA gather around a list of things, and that you work toward having an ice cream social in June that raises funds for a charity. It can mean that you meet each week and tell each other a story of how you were kind to another student that week and why that kindness is important. It can mean that you decide to put up signs on the school bulletin boards that encourage people to volunteer.
Decide on it. Commit to it. Do it.
It’s that easy.
