days left to the 2024 election! Your ballot is your power, and when we show up, equality wins. Click here to visit our 2024 Voting Center!
Time to THRIVE was founded with the goal of building a strong network of supportive adults to ensure LGBTQ+ youth don’t simply survive, but THRIVE. Our summit is a convening to build awareness and cultural competency, learn current and emerging best practices, gather resources from leading experts and organizations in the field, and connect adult allies on the ground with regional approach.
Register — Agenda — About T2T — Past Summits — Sponsors
Registration & Information
Registration for Time to THRIVE in the Upper Midwest, set for Saturday May 18, 2024,
is now open.
If you are an NEA Member, please reach out to Anthony Brisson at the NEA at abrisson@nea.org for your registration.
Attention LGBTQ+ Youth - Time to THRIVE in the Upper Midwest is designed for educators, counselors, librarians, social workers, and youth-serving professionals. Parents and caregivers are welcome to join us for the event and LGBTQ+ youth are also welcome to attend. Any youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents, caregivers, and guardians, please be aware that this summit does discuss the hardships LGBTQ+ youth face including suicide, violence, and hatred.
Thank you to Queer Youth Assemble and HRC’s Youth Ambassadors for designing our Youth Track of breakouts for those youth who attend.
Time To THRIVE Agenda
8:00 AM - Registration Opens
9:00 AM - Breakfast Plenary Session
- Land Acknowledgement by Stephanie Autumn (she/her), Tribal Youth Resource Center
- Welcome by Tim O’Regan (he/him), T-Mobile
- Welcome by Princess Moss (she/her), National Education Association (NEA)
9:45 AM - Brighter than Burnout (Youth Ambassador Keynote)
- Kei (she/they), HRC Youth Ambassador
9:50 AM - Regional Realities Panel Plenary Session
National and regional experts share insights on the climate for LGBTQ+ youth, current legislative realities, and the impact of legislation on the community featuring:
- Sarah Warbelow (she/her), Human Rights Campaign
- Erin Maye Quade (she/her), MN State Senator and Gender Justice
- Angela Kade Goepferd (they/them), Gender Health Program at Children’s Minnesota Hospital
- Jordan Mix (they/them), Iowa Safe Schools
- Hildie (she/her), HRC Youth Ambassador
- Wendy Strout (she/her), Human Rights Campaign (moderator)
Navigating Responses to Identity-Based Bully
- Cheryl Greene (she/her), HRC Welcoming Schools
Understanding and Using Data for Good: A workshop utilizing data from HRC/University of Connecticut’s 2022 LGBTQ+ Youth Survey
- Shoshana Goldberg (she/her), HRC Public Education & Research
- Charleigh Flohr (she/her), HRC Public Education & Research
Empowering LGBTQ+ Educators: Supporting, Advocating, and Uplifting in Today’s Climate
- David Fernkopf (he/him), NEA
- Anthony Pennock (he/him), NEA
Creating a Gender Inclusive Environment
- Phii Regis (they/them), HRC’s All Children - All Families Program (ACAF)
Helping Muslim Families to Support LGBTQ Children & Youth
- Caitlin Ryan (she/her), Family Acceptance Project
- Mahereen Baig (she/her), Parent & Advocate
Queer Equity Institute: Intergenerational Queer and Trans Community Organizing Towards Sustainable Trans Refuge State
- Minnesota State Representative Leigh Finke (she/they), Queer Equity Institute
Queer Minds Matter (Youth Track)
- Kei (she/they), HRC Youth Ambassador
12:30 PM - Lunch Plenary Session
12:45 PM - The Dance of Dualities Within (Youth Ambassador Keynote)
Exploring Rhythms of Resilience, Embracing Authenticity, and Forging a Path of Advocacy and Empowerment
- Rehman (they/them), HRC Youth Ambassador
12:50 PM - Featured Keynote on Transgender Youth & Sports
- Katie Barnes (they/them), ESPN Journalist & Author
- Local transgender athletes
The Teachable Moment
- Dave Edwards (he/him), HRC’s Welcoming Schools
Family Acceptance Project: Helping Diverse Families to Support and Affirm LGBTQ Children & Youth
- Caitlin Ryan (she/her), Family Acceptance Project
Putting Intersectionality into Practice
- Phii Regis (they/them), HRC’s ACAF
Suicide Prevention Peer Models Doing the Work: Being the Champion LGBTQ+ Youth Need
- DeHaven Sawyer-Mays (they/them), Active Minds
Inclusive & Affirming Sex Education for LGBTQ+ Youth
- Nora Gelperin (she/her), Advocates for Youth
Loud and Queer: Testifying in Front of Adults (Youth Track)
- Ray (he/him), HRC Youth Ambassador
Effectively Engaging School Boards Through Advocacy & Elections
- Brandon Rettke (he/him), NEA
Libraries for All: Protecting the Right to Read
- Laura Gigras (she/her), American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
- Rachel Haider (she/her), AASL
- Ann Kaste (she/her), AASL
School Boards: Why They and Their Integrity Matter
- Kyrstin Schuett (she/her), School Board Integrity Project
Building Organizational Support for LGBTQ+ Inclusive Practice
- Phii Regis (they/them), HRC ACAF
- Ash Ryan (she/her), HRC ACAF
Inclusive Restrooms: Making Universal Design a Tool for Solidarity
- Clark Hoelscher (they/them), HRC Minnesota Steering Committee
- Minnesota State Representative Leigh Finke (she/they), Queer Equity Institute
- Tom Parent (he/him), Saint Paul Public Schools
Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusive Youth Mentoring Spaces
- Anne Sutkowi-Hemstreet (they/them), QUEERSPACE Collective
- Abby Neisen (they/them), QUEERSPACE Collective
Crafting the Revolution (Youth Track)
**Please note that this session is only open to participants under the age of 25.**
- Zadyn (he/him), Queer Youth Assemble
5:15 PM - Parents Speak: Panel of Parents of Transgender & Non-Binary Youth
- Moderated by Ellen Kahn (she/her), HRC Foundation
6:30 PM - Special Documentary Screening
A family discovers the pitfalls and joys of forging a new path after hostile politics force them to leave their home.
7:00 PM - Closing Plenary & Call to Action
- Featuring Councilwoman Andrea Jenkins (she/her)
8:00 PM - Event Ends
Research indicates that over half of bullying incidents in schools are identity-based, which means they are rooted in bias. Educators often do not know how or feel uncomfortable facilitating learning about bias and/or intervening when a bias incident happens. In collaboration with the Anti Defamation League, Welcoming Schools developed a youth-centered video that prioritizes and amplifies the voices of a diverse group of students across the United States. During our time together, we will watch the short 9 minute video and provide actionable strategies based upon advice from youth to educators, creating an opportunity for educators to increase both their knowledge and confidence in addressing identity-based bullying.
Facilitated by Cheryl Greene (she/her), Senior Director of Welcoming Schools, HRC
Join School Board Integrity Project founder and executive director Kyrstin Schuette for a breakout workshop that delves into the critical role of school boards and the paramount importance of their integrity in shaping the future of education- particularly for our LGBTQIA+ students. In this workshop, participants will gain a profound understanding of the key responsibilities of school boards, exploring the decision-making processes that directly impact students, teachers, and communities. This workshop will also help participants unlock the power they have as advocates to push back against the growing hostility surrounding school boards and inclusive policies, build a more equitable future through policy reform and school board elections, and incite change.
Facilitated by Kyrstin Schuette (she/her), Founding Executive Director of the School Board Integrity Project
Time to THRIVE in the Upper Midwest
Keynote Speaker
Katie Barnes (they/them/their) is an award winning journalist covering the intersection of sports and gender. As a feature writer at ESPN, Katie has profiled women’s sports superstars like Maya Moore, A’ja Wilson, and Amanda Nunes. They are a leading journalist in the coverage of legislation and policy affecting transgender and intersex athletes.
Fair Play is their first book. It was named as a “Must-Read Book of 2023” by Time Magazine. Katie is a 3-time GLAAD award nominee and a 2022 finalist for the Dan Jenkins Medal, a prestigious award honoring outstanding sports journalism. They were named the 2017 Journalist of the Year by NLGJA — The Association of LGBTQ Journalists.
In Fair Play, Katie traces the evolution of women’s sports as a pastime and a political arena where equality and fairness have been fought over for generations. As attitudes toward gender have shifted to embrace more fluidity in recent decades, sex continues to be viewed as a static binary that is easily determined: male or female. It is on the very idea of static sex that we have built an entire sporting apparatus. Now that foundation is being hotly debated as a result of intense culture wars.
Many transgender and intersex athletes, including a South African runner, a wrestler in Texas, a Connecticut track star, and a swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, have captured the attention of law and policymakers who want to decide how and when they compete.
Women’s sports, since their inception, have been seen as a separate class of competition that requires protection and rules for entry. But what are those rules and who gets to make them? Fair Play looks at all sides of the issue and presents a reasoned and much-needed solution that seeks to preserve opportunities for all going forward.
About Time To THRIVE
Time to THRIVE has evolved over recent years as we are currently in the midst of a truly tremendous and nearly unprecedented avalanche of pushback against the LGBTQ+ community. Across the country, record-numbers of anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced and sadly even passed in state legislatures, often targeting LGBTQ+ youth and specifically transgender youth. This prompted HRC to issue our first ever National State of Emergency in June 2023.
This has also prompted Time to THRIVE to adapt and shift to a regional model, allowing us to focus on the regional realities that vary wildly across the country due to this wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. We hope you’ll join us at a regional Time to THRIVE summit!
Time to THRIVE in the Upper Midwest will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2024 in Minneapolis, MN and focus on Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa.
Our Time to THRIVE’s summits will have open registration to anyone, anywhere, who want to learn more about supporting LGBTQ+ youth. We strongly encourage registration from our target region.
The summit will feature a full day of professional development opportunities including breakout workshops facilitated by experts from HRC, Project THRIVE partners, and more. Expect to see keynote speakers, dynamic panel discussions, and other activities to strengthen our tools in service to LGBTQ+ young people. A full detailed schedule will be released in early 2024.
If you have presented in the past or are interested in presenting, particularly if you live and work in our host regions, please contact us at timetothrive@hrc.org.
We are always looking for sponsors and supporters for Time to THRIVE, particularly in our new host regions. If you or your organization are interested in becoming a sponsor, community partner, or exhibitor, please contact us at timetothrive@hrc.org.
We understand that not everyone can join us for Time to THRIVE in person. Check out these great virtual webinars and resources to learn more about supporting LGBTQ+ youth:
Past Summits
Want to see more from previous summits?
Check out our YouTube playlist with previous panels and much more!
Our Sponsors and Partners
Interested in sponsoring HRC Foundation's Time to THRIVE Summits?
Connect with us at TimetoTHRIVE@hrc.org.
Image: