Aren Drehobl, 26, has been active in combating violence in the GLBT community since working for Hull House’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy project. Aren worked as a staff liaison to the GLBT Battering Issues Committee of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network, started a GLBT outreach program there and presented citywide anti-homophobia training sessions. Aren is currently GLSEN Chicago’s Program Manager, and works to make schools safer regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity through educating and training faculty, staff and school administrators.
Aren built a team of youth and adults to plan Day of Silence events which included the Night of Noise Rally, drawing 300 youth and supporters to raise awareness of the need for safe schools for queer youth. Currently, Aren is planning the GLSEN Summer Institute titled, ‘Creating Safer School’s for All: A training course on preventing anti-gay violence in schools,’ which will train teachers, staff members and social workers from local high schools about GLBT youth issues.
This year, Aren has also become a deputy voter registrar, and is visiting Chicago Public Schools to register 18-year-olds to vote for the first time. Aren says the most rewarding thing about working with youth is empowering them with knowledge of their own leadership abilities.