Announcing: Peer Mentorship Program Kick-Off & Orientation Weekend

Initiative for Transgender Leadership is proud to announce our new

Peer Mentorship Program Kick-off Weekend for Trans* Youth!

Join us if you want to:

•   become a skilled, connected and confident mentor to your peers;

•   be part of a supportive and awesome group of people committed to making the world a better place for trans* youth;

•   develop your professional and leadership capacities.

Come to our kick-off weekend October 4-6th where you will meet other local trans* youth, learn the basics of being a mentor, practice non-violent communication, eat great food and find out about ITL's Peer Mentorship Program to see if you want to join. Meals will be provided, bus fare is available, and the whole weekend is free! 

Location: ITL co-founder Madeleine Hershey will be hosting the Kick Off at her house on Aurelius Ave. in Swissvale. The house is handicap accessible.

Who is invited? The ITL Peer Mentorship Program is for people of trans* experience, ages 16-26. The program will benefit from a diversity of experiences, backgrounds and identities.  If you identify as trans*, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, or you feel you belong in this program, we welcome you. 

We hope that after participating in the kick-off weekend you will decide to commit to the full Peer Mentorship Program, which will meet for 20 3-hour sessions between October 2013 and May 2014. Those who choose to join the program will receive a small regular stipend, bus fare as needed, and lunch on program days.

The goal of the ITL Peer Mentorship Program is to produce a group of well-informed, confident and competent young trans* people who, by becoming experts in themselves, are ready, willing and able to provide information, mentorship and support to others in their communities.  The Peer Mentorship Program was designed by trans* youth and the ITL team to be participant-driven.  In other words: YOU decide what information and activities are priorities, and facilitate the program together with your peers. 

SPACE IS LIMITED. REGISTER TODAY! 

Have questions? Contact transleadership@gmail.com

KICK-OFF WEEKEND SCHEDULE

We ask that you join us for all sessions

Friday October 4th

6:00-7:00pm Dinner 

7:15-8:00 Introduction to ITL and the Peer Mentorship Program

8:00-8:30 Sharing what you want to give and get from the program

8:30-8:45 Break

8:45-9:30 Icebreakers with Adil Mansoor

9:30 Close

Saturday October 5th

12:00-12:30 Lunch

12:30-3:00 Basic Training for Being a Mentor with J Wester

3:00-3:15 Break

3:15-5:15 Non-Violent Communication workshop with Dr. Judi Diven

5:15-6:30 Dinner

6:30-8:00 Participant-generated conversation: Program ground rules and language

8:00 Close

Sunday October 6th

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:30 Facilitation 101 with FEARLESS

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45-3:45 What's next? Hands-on workshop using Peer Mentorship Program manual

3:45-4:00 Choose whether to join the rest of the Peer Mentorship Program

4:00 Close

SPACE IS LIMITED. REGISTER TODAY! 

Have questions? Contact transleadership@gmail.com

Upcoming "Creating a Successful Internship Program" Workshop

Last Wednesday, I sat in on another of the RIC's employer workshops on "Creating a Successful Internship Program" at the Allegheny Land Trust in Sewickley. I'm keeping an eye out for ways to tailor the presentation to organizations that primarily serve the LGBT community. The information in the presentation is designed to be helpful for any company or organization looking to improve upon an existing internship program or start a new one. There are so many misconceptions about interns: ("Oh, this totally annoying job? Let's make the intern do it! Ha, ha, ha!" or "We can't pay an intern so we can't have one!") but just getting people talking about internships and what they could be really offers a whole new frame through which to look at them. This is especially helpful when members of organizations hear from members of other organizations about problems they have faced and overcome.

In many ways, organizations who serve LGBT populations are facing the same challenges as organizations who don't (directly) serve them. LGBT organizations may need to work on updating infrastructure, developing a more distinct "brand", assessing resources, attracting and retaining the best talent for the job, making hard decisions about funding and programming...These are all challenges common to any organization. But I'm trying to get at the challenges specific to LGBT organizations, in the Pittsburgh-area. Do organizations feel torn between groups in our community that seem to be at odds with each other? What is an organization's current strategy to reach out and advertise to the LGBT community? Further, what kind of language is the organization using to carry out that strategy? How is our community changing and what resources to we need now that we didn't need 10 or 20 years ago? How do we ally ourselves with other organizations in the city to create change beyond our community?

On June 22nd, I am inviting local LGBT organizations to our internships and including time to discuss these and other questions. The workshop information is below as well as a video by the Regional Internship Center's director, Regina Anderson about what employers can expect from this workshop:

                                              

Workshop: “Creating a Successful Internship Program”

-and-

Discussion: Serving the LGBT community through internship programs

Who: Pittsburgh-area organizations that serve the LGBT community

What: “Creating a Successful Internship Program” Workshop and Discussion

When: Wednesday, June 22^nd from 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Where: Coro Center for Civic Leadership office

33 Terminal Way, Suite 429A

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Cost: $35 (Make checks payable to: Coro Center for Civic Leadership)

RSVP by Monday, June 20^th by emailing Rayden Sorock at rsorock@coropittsburgh.org

Questions? Requests for accommodations? Email or call: (412) 208-0250