Paid Internship to Design Our Next Project

Application: Internship to design a Peer Mentorship Program for Trans Youth

The purpose of the Initiative for Transgender Leadership (ITL) is to positively impact community life through professional and leadership development of transgender youth.

ITL Internship

The ITL Internship is a paid, professional development opportunity for one trans-identified young person (age 16-26) to research and design a Peer Mentorship Program for trans youth in Pittsburgh, and to find and enroll trans youth into the program.

The ITL Intern must possess a strong work ethic, organizational skills, and communicate well with the ITL team and with other trans youth. The ITL Intern will receive supervision and support from the ITL team and will have access to experts who work in fields that affect the lives of trans youth.

The ITL Intern will work approximately 10 hours each week for 40 weeks from September, 2012 – June, 2013 and will be paid a total of $4,800 in monthly installments (approximately $12/hour).

ITL Peer Mentorship Program

The ITL Peer Mentorship Program (PMP) will be a 10-month program designed by the ITL Intern in which trans-identified young people can gain new awareness of themselves and their resources so that they produce victories in their own lives and in the lives of other trans youth.

The ITL Peer Mentors will meet regularly from September, 2103 – June, 2014 to develop themselves as leaders in their own lives, in their peer group and their community. Peer Mentors will have access to the ITL team of local experts who work in fields that impact the lives of trans youth. Peer Mentors will be paid for successful completion of the ITL PMP, and may have additional opportunities to be paid by ITL for at-large peer mentoring after completing the PMP.

ITL Internship Application

Below are the three areas of information Applicants need to supply in order to qualify for our 10 month paid Internship. Please submit your application in 12-point font, single spaced pages, with no less than .8” margins on all sides. At the top of each page, please include your name. At the top of your first page, please also include: your date of birth, mailing address, phone number, and email address.

I. Show us what you can do!

Submit an exhibit or presentation--show us a project, piece of art, an essay, event organized or created by you that shows planning and learning on your part. This may be a link, an attachment, newspaper article, or a testimonial by a mentor or peer. Tell us about the learning and planning you did to produce your exhibit.

II. Provide short answers (300 words or less) to the following questions:

Tell us a bit about who you are
Tell us about your experience with being a mentor or mentee
Briefly describe your experience with research/information gathering

III. Please answer the questions below in an essay format. Each answer is not to exceed one full page single spaced:

Why do you want to design our Peer Mentorship Program and what do you think trans-identified youth need?
Describe a time when you met someone whose experience was different from yours and it opened your mind to a new perspective.
Describe a time in your life when you listened to advice then made your own decision. What did you learn about yourself?

* Trans includes transgender, transsexual, gender non-conforming and genderqueer.

Send your application to transleadership@gmail.com by 5pm on Friday, August 10th, 2012.

transleadership@gmail.com
transyouthleaders.blogspot.com
twitter.com/TransLeadership
facebook.com/PghTransLeadership

PTHC: Philly Trans Health Conference

Here we are in Philly surveying Trans Youth about what they need and want.  What are the obstacles we could address in the Peer 2 Peer Mentor Program we are developing?

To take the survey, please click here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE80ZWg1NnVKYXJ5UkUybTVtODN6TUE6MQ

May 31st - June 2nd, 2012 find us in the West Concourse of the Philadelphia Convention Center, table 39.5.

[Edit: The survey is now closed. Our intern will be analyzing the data and report back the findings in the future!]

Widening L e a d e r s h i p

This Summer, ITL is adding to our skills and perspective with an Advisory Committee.  Over the next 2 months, we will be welcoming our new members by way of short biographies here on the Blog.  Below is our 1st member:

Adil Mansoor is an artist, activist, and educator originally from Chicago, IL.    Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2010, he has worked with the MGR Foundation, Gateway to the Arts, and the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater as a teaching artist.  Currently, he is an artist educator with The Andy Warhol Museum developing and facilitating a new arts-based teen dialogue program, Dine and Discuss.  He also serves as the stage director and student mentor for Dreams of Hope, a queer teen performance group.  He is a founding artistic associate with Chicago based FYI (For Youth Inquiry), a performing health collective creating participatory theatre engaging young people in conversations about sexual health and sexual violence.  Adil hold a Bachelors of Science in Education and Social Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Northwestern University. 

Welcome Adil.

Long Time No See!

Hi all--

Since my last update, I've started a new job as a Community Garden Assistant at Grow Pittsburgh. It's keeping me busy for sure, and I can see how my experience as the ITL fellow honed a lot of the skills I need to rely on for this job: community organizing, time management (still working on this), visioning, social media, leading educational workshops and communicating effectively.

I still manage to keep up with trans education and advocacy where I can. Did you get to check out The Other Men Project presents: Locally Queer at the Brew House this month? My boyfriend and I led a brief Trans 101 there, with a strong focus on etiquette.

Also, I joined two classes at Carlow with some other LGBT and reproductive justice advocates, to lead Trans 101 trainings. One class was for students going into service professions like teaching, nursing and social work. The other was for graduate students going into counseling. I wanted to share this email I wrote about my experience at the second class:

Thomas Waters [see his blog at www.thomascwaters.com] and I split the evening. He began talking about the LGBT community in Pittsburgh, with a focus on legislation and non-discrimination at the city, county and state level. I'm glad for his pointed focus on the "Q" and how queerness is really shifting how we all think about LGBT issues.

Then I gave a short trans 101, which focuses on the basic basics and also on etiquette. I'm feeling more and more confident doing these. A woman in her 50's commented that the whole concept of a continuum and thinking of human experience as non-binary gave her a serious "aha!" moment. How cool! 

After the break Thomas led another section on activism vs. advocacy and various levels of involvement in government and constituent issues.

Fellowship & Funding Complete! What's Next?

As witnessed by the Fundraising Thermometer to the right, we have met our goal!


Our first project (A well-funded, 10 month Fellowship served by a Trans Youth in a Pittsburgh Non-Profit) is a smashing success.  The cooperative work between Rayden Sorock and Coro Pittsburgh has been brilliant and satisfying. 

Thank you so much for donating, volunteering, believing in our mission, and coming out to celebrate with us.

We are now going back into formulation to choose our next project.  Expect to see questions for followers, surveys of Trans Youth, and some inspired planning right here on the blog soon.

With Gratitude & Celebration, 
Bobby Peck, Madeleine Hershey & Jen Saffron

I'm feeling Friday's gravity...

I owe you another post!

Today I "mocked" my presentation in front of people for the third time. I can really see this shaping up and I am really excited to share it on Friday at the ITL Commencement. There's still so much to do of course, but at this point I am beginning to feel okay with whatever happens. Allowing the space for me to just be how I am at the event.

I am so invested in the fellowship and the people who have made this happen. I am feeling very thankful for all the help I've gotten along the way. And I am learning how to be present to all I've accomplished.

The 40 or so blog posts I have written here chronicle the first ITL fellowship experience. I am happy to be able to share to publicly what I've been through. Thanks!

P.S. Please check out Initiative for Transgender Leadership on Facebook to find the event page and confirm your attendance!

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!

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.

Initiative for Transgender Leadership Commencement Celebration

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information:

Contact: Madeleine Hershey and Rayden Sorock

Email: transleadership@gmail.com

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

###

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 18^th 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 19^th 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 18^th 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.