60+ college student leaders and advisors come together from across the United States;

National nonprofit for LGBT college youth plans to award at camp national leadership award to Daniel Hernandez Jr. and names annual "Campy" distinguished service awards and LGBT campus commitment honors.

Today Campus Pride kicks off its fifth annual Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp aptly called “Camp Pride.” The five day long leadership camp, the only national program of its kind, is geared toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally student leaders from colleges and universities across the United States. This year’s camp is hosted on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

The Camp Pride curriculum is based on the Social Change Model of Leadership Development and includes campus organizing techniques, conflict management, social justice advocacy, diversity education and more. In addition to the 60+ LGBT and ally young people, the camp also has a new Advisor’s Bootcamp to train individuals on how to support LGBT youth organizing and activism on campus.

This year Campus Pride will bestow its National Voice & Action Leadership Award to Daniel Hernandez, Jr., the student intern credited with saving the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) after the Jan. 8 shooting attack in Tucson, AZ. The award is the only honor of its kind, focused on the work of undergraduate college students who are creating positive change for LGBT and ally issues within their communities.

The year is coming to a close, and with it we have time to reflect upon this year's wonderful successes, growth and achievements for Campus Pride.

Summer Leadership Camp
This year, college students, faculty and staff gathered at Vanderbilt University for summer camp like none other. Our phenomenal and inspiring staff led great workshops, sessions and trainings. We can hardly wait until 2011's camp.

The 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People
This year's most exciting happening was Campus Pride's release of its landmark 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People. Months of research and work culminated in a national release that brought much-needed attention to the need for safer and more welcoming learning, living and working environments for LGBT college and university students, faculty and staff.

The report, released in September at a special Capitol Hill briefing in Washington, D.C., is the first and only of its kind. Our hope is that it will be used to inform and inspire change on college campuses around the world.

Responding to tragedy
As Campus Pride was releasing its 2010 State of Higher Education report, we were saddened to learn of the tragic series of gay teen suicides by high school and college students around the country. More than half a dozen young gay men and lesbian women took their lives this fall. Campus Pride responded quickly and thoroughly, attempting to bring attention to the plight of LGBT high school and college students. With our report, our Stop the Hate trainings, college fairs and other work, we hope LGBT teens will one day be granted and ensured the right to go to school, learn and grow in safe and inclusive environments.

Supporting student leaders
Several times this year, Campus Pride had the unique opportunity to support LGBT and straight ally student leaders on campuses across the country. In particular, we are especially proud of LGBT and straight ally student leaders at the University of Rhode Island. Their action this fall to raise awareness of campus climate and inclusion issues was received well by students on their campus and members of the surrounding community. We're happy the students' efforts have been met with some positive responses from the university's administration.

LGBT-Friendly College Fairs
Last but not least... We can't forget this year's series of LGBT-Friendly College Fairs. We particularly proud of this years' college fair events, as we expanded the program to first-ever and one-of-a-kind events in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest. Both the Charlotte, N.C., and Portland, Ore., fairs drew phenomenal student and parent participation. Fairs in Boston, New York City and Los Angeles were equally as successful.

Thanks
This year's magnificent work wouldn't have been possible without the generous support of young people and students, parents, teachers, college faculty and staff, and, of course, our grant funders, donors and sponsors like AFFA, Cargill, Gamma Mu Foundation, OUTmedia and Food Lion, among others.

"Stop The Hate" has come to the Queen City. Based in Charlotte, NC, the national organization Campus Pride is hosting the premier bias and hate crime prevention program locally to benefit the Carolinas as well as colleges across the country. Today through Wednesday, trainers will help students, faculty and staff learn how to prevent and combat bias and hate crimes on campus, and foster the development of community.

The event is, perhaps, particularly important in light of a recent hate-motivated incident on the campus of East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. In October, two male students verbally and physically attacked two women they believed to be lesbians. The university's chancellor has spoken out on the incident.

The Stop The Hate Train The Trainer Program allows top administrators, student affairs professionals, faculty and students to learn new innovative tools to take action on hate crimes and bias-motivated violence issues on his/her campus. The only resource of it's kind specifically for college campuses, the Stop The Hate 250+ page premiere training manual and three day, 18-20 hour Train The Trainer program was developed in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, Association of College Unions International, Campus Pride, The Southern Poverty Law Center, Wilbron Institute, Matthew Shepard Foundation, Napa Valley College Criminal Justice Training Center and the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.

The Charlotte event includes participation from nearly 10 different colleges across the U.S. Local participating schools include Pfeiffer University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Funding support was provided by Food Lion. The training location was provided in partnership with Holy Trinity Church and Time Out Youth.

Find out more information online at www.stophate.org.

Campus Pride hosted fourth annual LGBT & Ally Summer Leadership Camp, July 20-25, 2010 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN
National LGBT & ally college nonprofit recognizes Keissling of National Center for Transgender Equality with national leadership award as well as Driscoll, Topping, Barth, Thomison, Burks, D’Allaird, Graving, Brown & Feldman with “Campys” for distinguished volunteer service

(Charlotte, NC) -- Campus Pride hosted its fourth annual Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp from July 20-25, 2010 on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. The camp is the only one of its kind geared toward mobilizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally student leaders from colleges and universities across the United States.

Nearly sixty college student leaders attended the five day camp from over thirty-five colleges and universities. Featured camp keynotes included Campus Pride founder/executive director Shane Windmeyer as well as Mara Keissling from the National Center for Transgender Equality, Dr. John Corvino of Wayne State University and writer of 365gay.com, out gay athlete Brian Sims who is also on the board chair of EqualityPA, Dr. Marisa Richmond of Tennessee Equality Project, national bisexual advocate and author Robyn Ochs and D’Arcy Meyer of the National Gay & Lesbian Law Association.

Campus Pride also bestowed its National Voice & Action Leadership Award to Mara Keissling of the National Center for Transgender Equality. The award recognizes a national leader in the LGBT and ally movement who believes in the Campus Pride mission to build future leaders and create awareness, safety and visibility for LGBT students on campus.

Read more after the jump...

Fourth Annual Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp Kicks Off at Vanderbilt University for LGBT and Ally Students this week July 20-25
Nearly 60 LGBT and ally college students from across the country; Campus Pride Organizes Leaders for Grassroots Change at Colleges & Universities

(Nashville, TN) -- Campus Pride kicks off the fourth annual summer leadership camp for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college students from colleges and universities across the country. The camp begins July 20 to 25, 2010 and will be hosted for the first time on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Though summer is often a slow time of year for student organizers working for LGBT equality, today nearly sixty LGBT and ally college student leaders from all over the country came together for a week of planning, networking and training. Touted as the “only camp of its kind for LGBT advocacy and social justice,” the five-day camp experience blends traditional camp activities like arts and crafts with a core curriculum of skill building in leadership development, social justice and civic involvement. The camp mission is straightforward: “At the heart of a remarkable leader is a passion and a vision for change.” Camp training and activities underscore the camp mission and engage campers to explore the unique challenges faced as LGBT and ally campus leaders.

Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride and author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students profiling the “100 Best LGBT-Friendly Campuses,” stated “It is our responsibility to build the future leaders who will continue the fight for equality at home, at work, at places of worship, at all levels of community. Those future leaders are on our college campuses today. The camp makes an investment for the future and will play a key role in training the next generation of leaders in the movement for LGBT rights.”