We had our first GSA meeting last Thursday which went very well. It was decided amongst the teens that we would use improv comedy activities for icebreakers. The selected games were found on www.humanpingpongball.com and are listed below:

• Greetings - we edited name titles to things like: King Kong, narcoleptic, scuba diver
• Reverse Chair Dance - similar to musical chairs. As the # chairs dimishes, teens must work together to make sure all feet are off of the ground. The havoc that ensued from these rambunctious alternative rules, somewhat resembled a vertical version of Twister. Seeing half a dozen teens trying to balance upon one chair was a memorable and hilarious Seussical moment.

After the physical exertion, we sat down for discussion and followed the JumpStart manual for newly started GSA groups. This manual was useful and we had to edit very little to make the topics more appropriate for libraries instead of schools. Our accomplished and work in progress mission statement is as follows:

The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) is a group of individuals with diverse sexual orientations that support people of all sexual preferences. We strive to educate the populace on issues involving diversity and equality; we do this by providing the community with an educational support group that takes a stand against ignorance.

Also coming up this week: Day of Silence Wednesday, April 26, 2006
A few of our GSA members are participating in this event and have created cards to pass out which explains their intent in choosing not to speak.

In the future, I’ll blog our successful GSA ideas in the section of our site where you may find other program activities.