October 24, 2011

Four weeks to go!

Hi all--

Here we are: down to the end of it. I wanted to share a few updates from recent events. First of all, the Building Change conference happened Oct 13-15 and for it, I led a workshop on LGBT workplace issues and also helped facilitate the final Saturday session. My workshop had few people in it--low turnout is always frustrating--I think I could have done a better job of advertising for it, but with everything else, it kind of dropped off. Still, I think the folks who were there got something out of it and I was glad to have Stephen Alan Glassman, former cabinet secretary to Ed Rendell and first out elected official in PA, as well as Ella Kuperminc, the first allied member of Alcoa's LGBTA employer resource group (EAGLE).

Winona LaDuke
Building Change offered the opportunity to have some great conversations with community members of all stripes. The keynote speaker was Winona LaDuke, Native American (Anishinaabe), economist, environmental activist and former Green Party VP nominee with Ralph Nader. I was really impressed by her and how she grouped growing corn in with other ways of changing the world. It's the little things that have the biggest impact if one sees all things as connected.

I think there are some changes that could be made for future Building Change conferences, and it will be interesting to see how the continuations committee keeps going with the Action Plan to Build Social Justice in SWPA. However, I think a lot of folks got a lot out of it, and it was a great experience for me to see the inner workings of conference planning, and more experience leading workshops and facilitating is always good. Visit www.buildingchangewpa.org to stay involved in the process.

The next Pittsburgh QUILTBAG/LGBTQA 5 year plan meeting is happening Nov. 5th from 12-2 at First Unitarian at 605 Morewood Ave. This will be a potluck, so please bring some snacks if you can. Facebook event page is here. There are still many questions about what we are doing, how and why--but shaping these things takes time. I hope we can get another surge in attendance like the first meeting. Email raydensorock [at] gmail [dot] com to get on the mailing list.

Apart from that, my final presentation is coming up--Nov. 18th! View the press release here. Please check out the Facebook event page here. We still have about $1500 to raise before then to meet our goal so if you have thought about donating--even $5 or $10--please consider making your donation now through PayPal or by check. Make out checks to Persad Center and put "ITL" in the memo line. Mail to 5150 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Thank you!

October 21, 2011

My People Film Series: Queer Legacies

My People Film Series: Queer Legacies
Presented by Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Tuesday, November 1-22 | 7PM

The 3rd annual My People Film Series returns in grand style with more films, more filmmakers, performances, and in depth discussions about our communities. Join Kelly Strayhorn Theater and New Voices Pittsburgh: Women of Color for Reproductive Justice for an exploration of Queer Legacies. From radical queer elders and legendary jazz composers to trans masculinity and immigration – we’ve got something to talk about!

My People Film Series is a four-part series highlighting the lives and experiences of queer people of color with award-winning films, performances, and discussions. While the films focus primarily on queer people of color, My People seeks to affirm underserved and underrepresented groups and help identify strong, active, and vibrant communities.


General   | $10
Film Pass | $30

Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200826853323009
More info and tickets: http://www.kelly-strayhorn.org/calendar/event/my-people-film-series-queer-legacies/

Tuesday, Nov 1 | 7PM

The Untitled Black Lesbian Elder Project (UBLEP)
Filmmakers: Tiona McClodden and Lisa C. Moore;
Length: 30 minutes


Tuesday, Nov 8 | 7PM

Billy & Aaron 
Filmmaker: Rodney Evans
Length: 11 minutes


Rex vs. Singh
Filmmakers: Richard Fung, John Greyson and Ali Kazimi
Length: 30 minutes


More Than Love (trilogy)
Filmmaker: Jillian Peña
Length: 36 minutes


TomboiGatoeyMango
Filmmaker: Jai Arun Ravin
Length: 3 minutes

Tom/ Trans / Thai 
Filmmaker: Jai Arun Ravin
Length: 17 minutes


Tuesday, Nov 15 | 7PM

Zero Degrees of Separation 
Filmmaker: Elle Flanders
Length: 85 minutes


Tuesday, Nov 22 | 7PM

Billy & Aaron 
Filmmaker: Rodney Evans
Length: 11 minutes

Brother to Brother 
Filmmaker: Rodney Evans
Length: 94 minutes

_____________________________

My People Film Series: Queer Legacies is a program of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater is partnership with New Voices Pittsburgh: Women of Color for Reproductive Justice and Carnegie Mellon University’s Hear Me project.

October 19, 2011

Initiative for Transgender Leadership Commencement Celebration

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information:
Contact: Madeleine Hershey and Rayden Sorock

INITIATIVE FOR TRANSGENDER LEADERSHIP
COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATION
An Evening for Appreciation, Entertainment and Community Building

On Friday, Nov. 18 from 6:30 to 9:30pm at the Union Project at 801 N Negley Avenue in East Liberty, the Initiative for Transgender Leadership (ITL), in partnership with the Union Project, will be hosting a Commencement Celebration.  ITL is inviting community members to honor the ITL’s first fellow, Rayden Sorock.  We are celebrating the completion of the inaugural 10-month fellowship program dedicated to the professional development and leadership of transgender youth in Pittsburgh.  The event is free and open to the public.

The Initiative for Transgender Leadership originated when three friends—R. T. Peck, Jen Saffron and Madeleine Hershey—decided they would do something to bridge the professional gap for transgender youth.  The ITL’s first project was a 10-month paid fellowship position at a Pittsburgh non-profit for one transgender youth.  The primary goals of the ITL fellowship program are: (1) to provide a professional and leadership development opportunity to one trans-identified youth; and (2) to serve the sponsoring organization's mission, as well as expand its service capacity.  The fellowship’s sponsoring organization is Coro Center for Civic Leadership.

Over the course of the evening, Rayden will present his fellowship experience and there will be performances by local artists.  Refreshments will be provided.  The Commencement Celebration is an opportunity to recognize everyone who has supported this project and Rayden.  We are celebrating our successes and opening up new possibilities for transgender awareness and youth leadership in Pittsburgh.

The space is handicapped accessible and sign language interpretation will be provided.  Parking is available in the Union Project parking lot and on-street.  Please contact transleadership@gmail.com to RSVP and with requests for accommodations.


EVENT:         Initiative for Transgender Leadership Commencement Celebration 
WHERE:       Union Project  801 N Negley Avenue Pittsburgh PA, 15206 
WHEN:          Friday, November 18 from 6:30pm-9:30pm 
RSVP:            transleadership@gmail.com 
ACCESSIBLE: Yes
###

October 13, 2011

Sharing Piece from Coro Newsletter

Rayden Sorock is the first Initiative for Transgender Leadership (ITL) fellow, currently placed at Coro Pittsburgh. He shares with us about the ITL, his experience working with Coro over the past several months, and considers what could be next. His final presentation is Friday, November 18th at the Union Project from 6:30-9:30. This event is free and open to the public, so save the date!

So what is the Initiative for Transgender Leadership all about?

Often transgender people are held back from actively pursuing challenging professional experiences, of they are actively turned away from these positions due to discrimination. Two years ago, three friends—R T Peck, Jen Saffron and Madeleine Hershey—got together and decided they would do something to bridge the professional gap for young transgender people. What emerged was a 10-month paid fellowship position for one transgender person between the ages of 17-25. That fellow would be placed with a sponsoring non-profit organization in Pittsburgh and would receive mentorship from R.T., Jen and Madeleine throughout the term.

The primary goals of the Initiative for Transgender Leadership (ITL) fellowship are: to provide a professional and leadership development opportunity to one trans-identified youth; to serve the sponsoring organization's mission of diversity, as well as expand its service capacity; and to "change the world"!

How did you come to apply for this opportunity?

I have been living in Pittsburgh for almost 2 years. I first visited in 2008 to stay with a friend and fell in love with the city.

I grew up in Massachusetts and attended college at State University of New York at Purchase where I studied literature. After I graduated, I moved in with my parents to their new home in Maryland and started hunting for a position working on a farm. Through the PA Association of Sustainable Agriculture, I found Blackberry Meadows Farm in Natrona Heights, PA and lived and worked there for a full season. I continued an interest in the environment and education while working at the Waldorf School, Construction Junction and Garden Dreams.

Last fall, a friend of mine saw the ITL's call for applicants and suggested I apply. After an interview process, I was selected in November of 2010 and begun my fellowship is mid-January of this year.

How did Coro Pittsburgh get involved?

Regina Anderson, the former Director of the Regional Internship Center (RIC), requested that Coro, being the parent organization to the RIC, sign on to be a sponsoring organization. The RIC pledged to provide a welcoming and supportive place to work; to offer direct supervision; and to attend a transgender cultural competency training led by a member of the ITL team.

Since January, the RIC and Coro have provided to me direct human resources support, access to trainings, events and resources, as well as enabled my integration into the Coro experience and network.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy also applied to be a sponsoring organization. Even though a position at the PPC would have provided an opportunity to work in the field of environmental advocacy and education (which are primary interests of mine) and the opportunity to work under Marijke Hecht, Director of Education, I decided to go with Coro because of it's extensive network in a variety of non-profit and service areas, and because I saw similarities between the opportunity I was given and the internship opportunities I would be working to create and improve as a member of the RIC team.

What have you been working on?

For the majority of my fellowship, I have been working with the Regional Internship Center (RIC) and learning all about social media, the creation of successful internship programs, and how to outreach effectively. I went from just taking notes at the RIC's signature "Creating a Successful Internship Program" workshop to preparing to lead my own on October 19th at Penn State Fayette. I can see how the process for creating successful internships can be used as model to improve efficiency and sustainability for an organization as a whole. 

More recently, I have been working with Misti McKeehen, Director of Operations & Outreach at Coro, on a series of recommendations to improve LGBT inclusion in the part-time Coro program, Women in Leadership (WIL). Also, I am working on a resource for Coro to share with partner organizations and businesses interested in learning more about LGBT workplace inclusion.

Also, I am working on the Outreach and Action Plan committees for an upcoming conference called Building Change: A Convergence for Social Justice. This conference will occur October 13-15 and it seeks to engage as many people as possible into building a social justice movement throughout southwestern PA. For more information please visit www.buildingchangewpa.org.

One main goal of the conference is to generate discussion and progress around an "Action Plan": a plan to build social justice in our region over the next five years. I thought, why not get this discussion started amongst members of the LGBT community and organizations serving the community in Pittsburgh? In August a group of nearly 60 people met at United Cerebral Palsy to begin generating a vision for the LGBT community. Please contact me at rsorock@coropittsburgh.org for more information or to get involved.

Throughout the fellowship, I have led and co-led trainings and focus groups on transgender awareness and LGBT workplace issues.

What's next for you? What's next for the Initiative for Transgender Leadership?

First of all, my fellowship culminates on Friday November 18th with my final presentation at the Union Project. This event will be free and open to the public. For more information visit: www.transyouthleaders.blogspot.com. Being the ITL fellow and working with Coro Pittsburgh has helped me build a strong network of people doing great work throughout this region. I feel confident that my experiences in this fellowship put me at a professional advantage and I am excited to think about what's next.

For the ITL, we are exploring a few different ideas including continuing the fellowship program and developing a "mentoring the mentors" program to promote peer-to-peer mentorship among transgender youth. I intend to stay involved with the ITL in the future and I know we will continue to do great things. Please stay in touch by emailing transleadership@gmail.com.