Activism on Facebook, arrest rates among transgender people and immigration may not have many things in common, except that all three will be discussed at the Creating Change Conference 2008 this week.
Centered around building the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force organizes the annual conference – five days of workshops, lectures, networking and training sessions, and strategizing for taking action – for LGBT rights activists from all over the country.
“(Creating Change is) a loose, general term for sparking change for a more progressive society, community and relationships, or anything to be more equal for LGBT individuals and their rights,” said junior Jory Card, one of seven University students flying to Detroit Wednesday to participate.
Card, a family and human services major who is attending Creating Change as a representative of the College of Education’s Student Advisory Board, is looking forward to attending the conference not only personally, but academically and professionally.
“It’s so exciting to see people who are working at the national level, and hearing their stories and what advice they can give me,” he said. “With my future going into human services, it’s necessary to be confident and to use your own path to help individuals lead healthier lives.”
For each student, airfare to Michigan and accommodations cost $700. LGBT Education and Support Services Program’s budget allowed for five students to attend. The other two can attend thanks to funding from Disability Services, the ASUO Women’s Center and Diversity Education and Support, among others.
LGBTESSP Assistant Cat McGraw said the February date is new for Creating Change, which used to take place every November.
“It’s great because it’s always hard to scramble to send students that early in the year,” she said.
Attending Creating Change as a student inspired McGraw to want to be a part of the changes in society highlighted by the conference, instead of writing about them. In 2003, she graduated from the University with a journalism degree before studying student services in graduate school.
“The space really concentrates on different marginalized identities that people bring to that conference,” she said. “The skills really translate universally.”
Card – who works with the Queer Youth Support Coalition and a local youth group for LGBT teenagers – also wants to help change society and sees Creating Change as a good vehicle to learn about doing so.
“It’s such a great opportunity for us to go because there are very limited resources for LGBT education,” he said. “It’s going to be really exciting, not only what I experience on a personal level, but what I’m going to take back.”
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