Support UMass Students to Attend Creating Change!
Donation protected
The Stonewall Center would like to provide funding to send 16 students to the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change 23rd-27th, 2019 in Detroit, MI. We have been fundraising for several months and are in need of just $1,500 to make this trip possible and affordable for all 16 of us! More information on the conference is available at creatingchange.org.
The Stonewall Center received lots of applications from students around campus who were interested in attending the conference. After a rigorous application review, the applicant pool has been narrowed to 16 attendees.
Students who have attended the conference in the past describe it as a “Queer Utopia” and talk about their experiences as “life changing” and “transformational.” For the past six years, attendees have returned to campus more informed, motivated and report that they learned how to build community upon their return to UMass. This increase in and desire to create queer spaces and enrich queer communities at UMass was evident in a variety of ways, demonstrated by the following testimonials from students:
-- I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to attend the Creating Change Conference. I am always using what I learned there in my day-to-day life on campus. Not only did I learn a lot about queer issues, but within that I learned the importance of supporting others in their lived experiences. This awareness is a life skill that is important for everyone to learn not only as UMass students, but as global citizens.
--Creating Change was an amazing experience for me. I had the opportunity to learn from experienced activists and the perspective it gave me has influenced the role I take in working for social justice at UMass. In addition to being educational, this was also an extremely affirming experience to be surrounded by so many beautiful and diverse people from the LGBTQIA community and know that I was a part of it. I would have never had the means to attend this conference had it not been for the help of UMass.
-- Going to Creating Change made me realize how much UMass still needs to improve and move forward to become a more inclusive and accepting environment for LGBTQIA individuals. I experienced a space and community that not only accepted me and my intersectionalities without question, but also celebrated diversity and encouraged further learning. This Queer Utopia empowered me to start creating the changes I wanted to see here at UMass. I began a program called After-Hours to provide a safe environment for a much needed LGBTQIA community. I have applied my experiences this year as an RA, by educating my residents and staff members on how to be better allies and provide support for members in our community that identify as LGBTQIA. I believe this is a very important and life changing experience that should be available to as many LGBTQIA students as possible regardless of their financial status.
Students who have attended Creating Change in previous years share newly acquired knowledge through a variety of channels, including follow-up presentations to funding sources, bringing new knowledge and perspective to existing campus groups and using information and strategies obtained from the conference to plan and execute campus-wide programming, specifically within their residence halls and with the Stonewall Center. In addition, all 16 attendees, who may not have otherwise had contact, form deep and long-lasting bonds with each other. These students not only have their own lives changed by this unique opportunity to be in a space and learn with a national community of thousands of queer people, but also have the opportunity to affect the lives of their various UMass communities by sharing their knowledge and experiences upon return.
The Stonewall Center received lots of applications from students around campus who were interested in attending the conference. After a rigorous application review, the applicant pool has been narrowed to 16 attendees.
Students who have attended the conference in the past describe it as a “Queer Utopia” and talk about their experiences as “life changing” and “transformational.” For the past six years, attendees have returned to campus more informed, motivated and report that they learned how to build community upon their return to UMass. This increase in and desire to create queer spaces and enrich queer communities at UMass was evident in a variety of ways, demonstrated by the following testimonials from students:
-- I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to attend the Creating Change Conference. I am always using what I learned there in my day-to-day life on campus. Not only did I learn a lot about queer issues, but within that I learned the importance of supporting others in their lived experiences. This awareness is a life skill that is important for everyone to learn not only as UMass students, but as global citizens.
--Creating Change was an amazing experience for me. I had the opportunity to learn from experienced activists and the perspective it gave me has influenced the role I take in working for social justice at UMass. In addition to being educational, this was also an extremely affirming experience to be surrounded by so many beautiful and diverse people from the LGBTQIA community and know that I was a part of it. I would have never had the means to attend this conference had it not been for the help of UMass.
-- Going to Creating Change made me realize how much UMass still needs to improve and move forward to become a more inclusive and accepting environment for LGBTQIA individuals. I experienced a space and community that not only accepted me and my intersectionalities without question, but also celebrated diversity and encouraged further learning. This Queer Utopia empowered me to start creating the changes I wanted to see here at UMass. I began a program called After-Hours to provide a safe environment for a much needed LGBTQIA community. I have applied my experiences this year as an RA, by educating my residents and staff members on how to be better allies and provide support for members in our community that identify as LGBTQIA. I believe this is a very important and life changing experience that should be available to as many LGBTQIA students as possible regardless of their financial status.
Students who have attended Creating Change in previous years share newly acquired knowledge through a variety of channels, including follow-up presentations to funding sources, bringing new knowledge and perspective to existing campus groups and using information and strategies obtained from the conference to plan and execute campus-wide programming, specifically within their residence halls and with the Stonewall Center. In addition, all 16 attendees, who may not have otherwise had contact, form deep and long-lasting bonds with each other. These students not only have their own lives changed by this unique opportunity to be in a space and learn with a national community of thousands of queer people, but also have the opportunity to affect the lives of their various UMass communities by sharing their knowledge and experiences upon return.
Organizer and beneficiary
Celena Lopes
Organizer
Amherst, MA
Hillary Montague-Asp
Beneficiary