95 Attend Just Like Any Other Youth
 |
On Friday, November 6, the day before the Come OUT & Find OUT Conference, the Center held its second consecutive Cultural Competency Institute, serving the needs of LGBTQ individuals and families by increasing the broader community's understanding of the unique needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people. In response to requests made at the 2008 Cultural Competency Institute, this year's topic was LGBTQ youth. |
Rob Conlon, co-coordinator of GLSEN Hudson Valley, and a member of the national GLSEN advisory board, presented Just Like Any Other Youth: Understanding and Working with LGBTQ Youth to an enthusiastic audience of 95 representatives, from eight schools and 36 community and youth-serving organizations spanning six Hudson Valley counties.
Attendees Enthusiastic About Program
Participants noted this was an unprecendented gathering. Remarks included:
"...in the juvenile justice system we may be lacking adequate resources or knowledge to work with this population."
"...our services for addressing harassment and assaults on LGBTQ youth are too general, we 'd like to collaborate with the Center and other agencies to address this issue."
"I really think our school district would benefit from one of your organization's talks."
"In my district, staff would benefit from being better educated, there is a lot of bullying in the middle school population."
"...this should be part of my college curriculum at SUNY."
"As a grandmother, mother, and family worker, an understanding of LGBTQ services can only enhance my skills as a family advocate."
As a result of this Institute the Center has received several training requests just this week. We'd like to thank Rob Conlon for his phenomenal presentation!