Educator organizing and activism
By William Andresen with Amy Moran, Ph. D. and Kate Okeson
William Andresen is a social studies teacher and Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) adviser at Park Ridge High School, and the host of a podcast called “Speaking with Students.” He’s also the founder and coordinator of the new Bergen County GSA Consortium.
RC: What was the inspiration for the Bergen County GSA Consortium?
WA: During the 2021-22 school year, our GSA maintained record participation. It was motivating to see so many students show up for each other. As our momentum grew, we wondered: Are neighboring schools seeing this type of growing presence and opportunity for support?
As co-advisers, Student Assistance Counselor Andrew Yeager and I spoke about how beneficial it would be to hear from other GSA advisors. So, I reached out to several I knew in the area to ask about their experiences and if they might be interested in joining a group dedicated to internal support—a virtual consortium for advisers.
RC: What has the consortium accomplished so far?
WA: In under two years, the Bergen County GSA Consortium has provided opportunities for communication, brainstorming, group support, and camaraderie among educators who are facing the same challenges and working toward the same goals for the LGBTQIA+ people in schools. In our virtual meetings, we share goals and ongoing projects within our schools, address common challenges and build community.
The value of connection
Online surveys and virtual conversations have been a great way to establish routine connections. The first time another adviser engaged the group for advice, it was an affirmation that others saw value in the connection as well and that once the structure was in place, it would continue to grow exponentially. We also show up for other Pride and GSA events in Bergen County and meet other GSA advisers and school leaders who work to support LGBTQIA+ students.
How can other GSA advisors in other New Jersey counties create similar consortia?
By following Andresen’s lead, other GSA advisers throughout New Jersey can also form county-based GSA consortia to connect around affinity, issues and events. Here’s a brief “how-to”:
- Collaborate: GSA co-advisers, Yeager and Andresen, began discussing the idea in October of 2021, and Andresen worked on developing a structure to reach out to other advisers.
- Create:
– Make a flyer with a brief introduction, list of goals, link to Google Form invitation, and email contact.
– Build an outreach list by connecting with other GSA advisers you know and researching the staff directories of schools in your county to contact GSA advisors you don’t know yet.
– Develop a Google Form invitation to the Consortium, and collect data too. See this month’s QR code where Andresen’s original flyer and Google Form are posted.
- Communicate: Email the invitation flyer and Google Form to the outreach list of GSA advisers you’ve identified in the county, and list dates for the first Zoom share sessions.
- Connect: From there, Andresen hosted at least one Zoom share session a month with five to 15 participants. Participating advisers also started inviting other advisers whom they knew would be interested as well. They connected on area Pride events and LGBTQIA+ themed conferences, and consortium members use meetings and the email chain to promote their own projects or events.
At “Rainbow Connection,” we’re so proud of Andresen and his work in developing the Bergen County GSA Consortium, and we hope GSA advisers in other counties follow his lead to create additional county-based GSA consortia as well.
Please see the QR code for Andresen’s original flyer and Google Form and an expanded version of how he started this invaluable work. And please connect with us at rainbowconnectionnjea@gmail.com to share the wonderful work you’re doing in your district to support LGBTQIA+ students!
