Introducing Gay-Straight Alliance Network
Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network) is a next-generation LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement for safer schools and healthier communities.
Impact of Mentorship
The GSA Network mentorship focused on using new media to support local GSA clubs and regional networks. New Media Mentors worked with them to create GSA Unite!, a platform designed to help youth start, run and deliver their own campaigns focusing on school, district, state, or national issues, then broadcast them via social media, and email. As a result of this work, GSA Network was able to build GSA Network’s power and win campaigns. These in include generating thousands of petition signatures and freeing LGBT youth Yordy Cancino from ICE detention, securing thousands of petition signatures and bringing national press attention (from CNN and the Huffington Post) to a local dress code fight, and mobilizing constituents to push for fair school policies.
How We Got There
New Media Mentors worked with both the organization’s Communications Manager and the Executive Director, introducing them to ControlShift Labs, the backbone of Unite! Together we sketched out a vision for the Unite! petition tool. The Communications Manager then worked with internal stakeholders to get them onboard with the idea, and secured funding for the platform.
With NMM’s help, GSA Network launched a new media program, to support local GSA clubs and regional networks, that will empower youth for years to come.
Our learning modules included:
- Social media
- New Media Roadmap
- Website
- Google AdWords
“New Media Mentors helped us shift our approach to new media as an organization. The mentorship gave us the push, capacity, and perspective to integrate new media strategy into our organizational strategy. It also allowed us to experiment and invest in new approaches that have the potential to dramatically increase the impact of almost every aspect of our program work.”
Banner image courtesy of GSA Network.
