by E. Ross

The American Civil Liberties Union announced the winners of its 2008 Youth Activist Scholarship contest. Fifteen high school seniors from across the country will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship in recognition of their outstanding work to protect civil liberties, especially for young people.

One of the Youth Scholars is Tonei Glavinic, a student at Steller Secondary School. The ACLU describes Tonei’s current activities:

Tonei Glavinic is an accomplished civil liberties activist in Anchorage, AK. He is the youth representative on the board of Identity, Inc., a non-profit organization that operates the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Anchorage. Tonei is also the Board President of the United Youth Courts of Alaska (UYCA), a program that diverts misdemeanor youth offenders to a peer-based community service program instead of the traditional juvenile justice system. He is a producer with the Alaska Teen Media Institute, and leverages this position to promote LGBT rights on weekly and monthly radio shows he produces for local college and public radio stations. Tonei is also president of his high school GSA and co-chair of the National Transgender Education Project Youth Review Board. His most passionate interest is working with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) where he currently serves on their National Advisory Council.  

    “… I want to spend the rest of my life working for equal civil and human rights for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Read Tonei’s inspiring winning essay and learn about the other 2008 Youth Scholars.