Seven Northwest Indiana high school students from the SLYCE Program (South Shore Leadership Youth for Community Engagement) have been putting vast amounts of effort in a LGBTQ+ summit that will be held at the Duneland Family YMCA on 215 Roosevelt Street in Chesterton. It will take place on November 12th from 12 P.M.-4 P.M. With just about three months behind them, this group is putting the finishing touches on planning this event out.
“This event was created for people in the LGBTQ+ and others to attempt to show that sexuality does not make you different or less of a person. We are all equal and shoulod be treated as such,” Ally Clare, Boone Grove senior SYLCE member, said.
SLYCE is a program that consists of high school students spread throughout Northwest Indiana, and it focuses on creating future leaders from the region. As it approaches the end of the third year at LPHS, the final task for everyone in the program is to design and follow through with creating a community outreach. For seven of its members, this event will be one of their final tasks before they graduate from SLYCE.
The group originally decided that holding an event like this would be beneficial to a rapidly changing community. Many fail to realize how diverse Northwest Indiana is, and this event will prove that support for the LGBTQ+ community plays a significant role in the area.
“We decided to hold an event like this because we wanted to create a safe, inviting environment for people of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. We also wanted to give people an opportunity to learn more about the community,” Emma Kasarda, LaPorte High School senior SLYCE member, said.
The summit will consist of four speakers, who are involved with the LGBTQ+ community in the area. They will speak about acceptance, awareness, discrimination and support. The speakers will begin around 12:30 PM, and there will be time at the end to mingle, meet the speakers, and ask questions.
“I would encourage someone to come to this event because they can be a part of an accepting environment. They will also have the opportunity to hear personal stories from exceptional speakers. I would encourage LGBTQ+ people, allies, and people who want to know more to come to this event,” Kasarda said.
As the community grows, so should the minds of its citizens. With the event only two weeks away, there is still time to RSVP with the SLYCE group to attend the summit. If one is interested, it is encouraged that one sends an e-mail to ekasarda@gmail.com to reserve a spot.