Wednesday April 10 @ 8:00 - 9:30 PM EST | Online via Zoom
Free. Suggested donation of $10.
On April 10th at 8 PM ET, come join us for a special event: Teacher Town Hall: Sparking Change for LGBTQ+ Youth. Learn valuable insights and strategies from seasoned educators who've used Pride & Less Prejudice's books and resources to create inclusive classrooms. Plus, leaders from Garden State Equality will share tips on fostering acceptance for LGBTQ+ students and handling pushback in your communities.
Presenters:
Christian Fuscarino (he/him) is the Executive Director of Garden State Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in New Jersey . Christian has long been a passionate activist, having served LGBTQ+ youth in his roles at GLSEN, Pride Connections Center of New Jersey, and The Pride Network, the national leadership development non-profit that he founded. Christian's volunteer work has received numerous accolades, including recognition from representatives of the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly and Governor Jon Corzine, as well as coverage in major media outlets like CBS News and Sirius XM.
Justine Evyn Saliski (she/her) is the Project Manager/Trainer at Garden State Equality. Justine has extensive experience in curriculum writing and development, building youth and teen educational programs, and creating and expanding multiple summer camps in the non-profit sector. As a teaching artist, her concentration is on building sustainable arts programs in communities, cultural organizations and non-profits though artistry, pedagogy and advocacy.
Katy Butler (she/her) is an educator, bookseller and consultant. She taught in public elementary schools in Massachusetts and California for a decade while creating Gender Inclusive Classrooms, an online resource for teachers. In October 2022 ago she opened a mobile LGBTQ+ children's bookstore with her business partner. Out & About Bookshop travels to markets and schools, encouraging readers to engage with LGBTQ+ stories and authors. Katy lives in San Francisco with her wife, their baby, and their pets. She is passionate about getting the right books into the hands of the right readers.
Naomi Avadanei (Theater Educator) is the founding Theatre Educator at The Ella Baker School, a small, diverse school on the Upper East Side where she works with students in grades Pre-K through 8. As an educator, Naomi has received numerous grants and awards for her students and her school community including the Disney Musicals in Schools Grant and the I Am An Islander Project. Naomi’s students have performed on Broadway as part of the DMIS final share, at the Brooklyn Borough Arts Festival, and at Carnegie Hall. Professionally, Naomi has had the privilege of sitting on the committee of the New York Theatre In Our Schools Conference, has been an Arts Monday Facilitator as well as a Teacher Effectiveness, and a Creative Response Process Facilitator through the Office of Arts and Special Projects. Naomi has presented her research in creating intergenerational theatre for the preservation of family stories at the AATE National Conference. In 2018, Naomi was selected as a Big Apple Awards Finalist. As a performer, Naomi has performed with Bluelaces Theatre Company, a company that works to create highly sensory, experiential theatre for audiences on the autism spectrum.
Forrest Evans (she,they), an Atlanta-based librarian at Warner Brothers Discovery, is dedicated to promoting education and gender equality. Known as "Favorite Librarian" on social media, Forrest shares Queer Books and Resources with her followers. Forrest is deeply involved in LGBTQ advocacy, serving as a member of the Atlanta Pride Committee's Board of Directors and the Atlanta Pride Run Steering Committee. Beyond her professional commitments, Forrest is a published poet and creative, with works featured in various literary journals including Pen+Brush, Lavender Review: Lesbian Poetry and Art, TQ Review: A Journal of Trans and Queer Voices, and The Apogee Journal.
Dani Carlin (he/they), the founder of Little Naturalists nature preschool, in Saint Paul, MN. Little Naturalists opened in 2021 in hopes of providing more accessibility to outdoor education and full-time care for all children. Their experience in the classroom extends to working as both a teacher’s aide and lead teacher in various preschools around the United States. Their book, “My Emotions – A Daily Journal” was released in 2023, as a tool to help caregivers (teachers and caregivers at home) connect with their young ones about their daily emotions. They believe that individual health is community health, and that teaching emotional regulation, communication skills, and conflict resolution at a young age can greatly improve the overall health of not only our young ones, but also our communities. They went to school for early childhood education at MCTC in Minnesota.
Noa DeSimone (she/they) is a kindergarten teacher, MsED student in Early Childhood Education at Hunter College and proudly queer, gender non-conforming dreamer. For over 20 years, Noa has created innovative, arts-based learning adventures for her preschool and kindergarten classrooms, centered in creativity, imagination, social-emotional development and social justice principles. Noa lives and teaches in Brooklyn, NY.
Philip Lee (he,him) is the publisher of READERS to EATERS, which he co-founded with his wife, author June Jo Lee. The company’s mission is to promote food literacy through stories about our diverse food cultures. He also co-founded Lee & Low Books, among the first children’s book publisher with a focus on publishing diverse books. Publishers Weekly in 2022 named him among “the book business’s top 25 change makers of the past 25 years.” A Hong Kong native, he lives in San Francisco.