TOOLKIT: GSA Leader Guide

How to run a kick-ass GSA

Establish Your Club’s Purpose

1. Decide if your GSA is a peer-support group, activism group, or social group. As your GSA expands, you can expand the nature of your GSA into more than one of these domains. 

2. Write a mission statement 

   1. Be sure to address the nature of your organization and its goals in an official mission statement. Your mission should be short, something that fits on the back of a T-shirt. If you want to include more, consider also writing a vision statement and agreeing on a set of core values that your club will operate by. Be sure to write out what each value means to your group too! See examples at the bottom.

Prepare for Meetings

1. Set the agenda: make a list of issues and topics to be discussed at each meeting

   1. If there are a number of things on the agenda, try to prioritize them so you get to the most important things first, or, set a time limit to discuss each topic

2. Publicize the meeting

   1. Figure out the best ways to reach out and advertise to as many people as possible in your school (e.g. daily announcements, flyers, posters, etc.)

   2. Designate a “publicity person” or “publicity team” to be in charge of all publicity each week

3. Bring food!

   1. Buy food if your club already has budget money, plan a potluck, or create a club donation jar that says “$ for Snacks”

   2. Keep track of any club members’ food allergies and if anyone is diabetic, has Celiac Disease (gluten-intolerant), and is vegetarian or vegan

   3. Be respectful of folks who are fasting for religious reasons (like Ramadan) and don’t bring food during specific times

Run a Great First Meeting

1. Set Ground Rules early

   1. Make sure that every group member feels safe by establishing ground rules such as respecting confidentiality 

2. Make decisions 

   1. Figure out how your group will make important decisions: majority vote, consensus, council of leaders

3. Designate a Facilitator

   1. The facilitator should keep the group and the president or leader focused on the meeting agenda and overall keep track of time

   2. The facilitator should also make sure that people are not feeling ignored and that the group remains respectful, consider “Take Space, Make Space” if needed 

   3. The facilitator or another club leader may also be in charge of email updates to keep people invested and attending meetings regularly 

4. Decide on leadership

   1. Elect officers- whether you decide to utilize hierarchical officers like President and Secretary, or a board of leaders, for the very first meeting of a new GSA, members should elect new officers to be in charge. However, after the GSA’s first year, officers should be elected towards the end of the school year, not the beginning. This way the would-be officers will have been in the club before and will have a better understanding of its dynamic and function. Another benefit of this is that elected officers will be able to shadow outgoing officers for a few weeks or months, and attend training over the summer before the upcoming school year starts. 

   2. Committees- if a lot of students are involved in your GSA committees can be a good option for sharing the power and responsibility. One individual will still need to serve as the meeting Facilitator though, so remember to decide if the same person will facilitate every meeting, or how you will choose someone to facilitate each meeting. 

5. Note-taking

   1. Take detailed minutes at each meeting to keep track of what decisions were made, how they were agreed upon, and who is responsible for what action items by when. This is useful not only for members who couldn’t attend, but also helps ensure transparency and can be useful in the future to understand your club’s processes 

   2. If club members feel safe, have meetings recorded and only made available to active club members. If audio or video recordings of meetings are made, have the audio transcribed, or have subtitles added so that the meetings are accessible for everyone

   3. Post the notes from your meetings on a GSA bulletin board or web page so students can check your club out anonymously

6. Create a question box for suggestions and comments 

Keep it Up by Creating an Action Plan

1. Have brainstorming sessions

   1. Separate which projects you will think about, plan, and discuss at which brainstorming meetings

   2. Set your ideas into a list of priorities and concentrate on them one at a time

2. Set up committees 

   1. Make a committee for each project and appoint a leader to organize the specific project

   2. Spread the leadership! Make sure your members are invested in your GSA

3. Set tentative dates

   1. Put deadlines, dates of meetings, or anything else into official school calendars, or make an official GSA calendar 

   2. Follow a schedule and take your deadlines seriously

4. Have sub-committee meetings

   1. Committees working on large projects or events should meet separately from the regular GSA meeting, and then report back to the GSA leaders. This ensures that GSA members not interested in the project still have a place in the regular meetings, while allowing committees to get more specific work completed. 

Create a Great Mission Statement!

There are many different reasons to have a GSA at your school. Some students want a safe space to hang out, feel free to be who they are, and meet similar people. Others need a supportive place to talk about what’s going on in their lives. Then there are groups that want to create a school free of homophobia and transphobia by incorporating LGBTQAI2+ issues in their education. Many schools require a club to write a constitution or a document stating their purpose. Does your GSA want to be an activist, social, or support GSA? Maybe you want to use parts of the different types of GSAs and create your own unique group. Consider explicitly including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, asexual, intersex, Two-Spirit and HIV+ folks in your mission. If you’re committed to being an anti-racist club and accessible to people with disabilities, say so! Below are a few sample mission statements to help your GSA get started. 

1. Activist Mission Statement (Organize... Create Change... Act!)

   1. Mission: Bringing together queer youth and straight allies to fight queerphobia on campus and in the community. 

   2. Vision: By raising awareness of different sexual and gender identities, linking homophobia and transphobia with other oppressions, and advocating for equal treatment for youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities, The Bayard Rustin GSA will create a school environment free of homophobic and transphobic sexual, verbal, and physical harassment. 

   3. Values: We value respect, safety, education and individuality. 

2. Social Mission Statement (Have Fun... Hang Out... A Place to be Free!)

   1. Mission: Bringing students of all sexual and gender identities together to meet new people, hang out, eat food, and have fun. 

   2. Vision: Through acceptance at all of our meetings The Fiesta High School GSA will reduce isolation and depression. We will also coordinate outings, dances, movie nights, and other activities and events. 

3. Support Mission Statement (What’s on Your Mind... Let’s Talk!)

   1. Mission: The Rainbow Connection: Listening to all LGBTQAI2+ youth and allies is our main objective. 

   2. Vision: By using one-on-one or group discussion, we hope to create a safe place to offer support, resources, and alternative outlets for emotional expression. The Rainbow Connection welcomes everyone to come and talk about any issues concerning them. 

   3. Values: Nonjudgmental support, diverse experiences, and radical honesty.