Redefining the Center: LGBTQ Youth & Families (Online) Week 1 of 6

This class is held over six weeks, meeting an hour per week online. Participants must be able to attend all six weeks to register. All meetings will be held from noon-1pm.

As a result of completing this class, we expect you’ll:

-have a thorough understanding of the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity and be able to understand common LGBTQ terminology,

-understand and have empathy for common issues LGBTQ youth and families experience as well as be able to recognize the resilience of LGBTQ people,

-understand how systems of oppression have been created at the societal and institutional level to purposefully disenfranchise LGBTQ people,

-have actionable strategies to advocate for LGBTQ people both individually and within systems.

More about our cohort continuing education classes:

You’ll complete the curriculum material within a cohort of other CASA Volunteers over six weeks. Each week, you and the other CASA Volunteers participating will complete materials to read or watch on your own and a homework assignment prior to attending a debrief session. This work on your own should take about an hour to complete. During the one hour debrief session with your cohort, you’ll be able to discuss the materials as well as listen to facilitated materials by a member of the ProKids team.

More about the Redefining the Center series:

As mentioned previously, this curriculum is designed to help you begin your journey centering LGBTQ youth in your work as an advocate. We hope that by completing this curriculum, you become inspired to explore more about the topics discussed and continuously learn how you can better show up for the LGBTQ community in your life.

Minority communities are over represented in the child protection system. LGBTQ youth are represented in foster care at rates 3-5 times higher than in the general public.

When we center minority communities, it means solving problems from their perspective, and considering them first in every potential solution. We need to move beyond asking whether a strategy will serve everyone to focusing first on whether it will effectively address the needs of those most likely to be in need.

EXPECTATIONS WHILE ATTENDING A PROKIDS TRAINING

When you attend a ProKids Training, you’ll be learning alongside other community members preparing to advocate for children experiencing one of, if not the most, chaotic times of their life. We take this work extremely seriously. Because of that, we have the following expectations for every ProKids Training participant:

• We promote a safe learning environment free of harassment, discrimination, and violence. It is never acceptable to speak or act in a way that intimidates, threatens, or denigrates the humanity of another participant, trainer, or community member.

• It is not appropriate to attend a ProKids Training to explicitly obtain legal or other advice for ongoing or past child protection involvement. ProKids trainers and staff will not comment on or engage in conversation about any specific child protection case.

• The goal of ProKids Trainings are to educate the community how to effectively advocate for children while involved in the child protection system. We are unable to answer questions or advise about issues not directly related to this goal.

Failure to follow these expectations will result in removal from and barring of participation in all ProKids education and training indefinitely.

“This training has been partially funded through a contract between Ohio CASA and the Department of Job and Family Services. Ohio CASA supports local CASA/GAL programs throughout Ohio with training, technical assistance, legislative support, and standards implementation so volunteers may advocate for abused, neglected and dependent children in the court system.”