Does the GLBT Youth Support Project offer trainings?
Yes. We offer a variety of trainings for agencies and schools working to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth. For a full listing of our training offerings, please go to our Training page.
Can the GLBT Youth Support Project train agencies and schools outside of Massachusetts?
Yes. The Project is based in Massachusetts, but we offer training to agencies and schools across the country. For information about our services and fees, please contact us.
Can the GLBT Youth Support Project help my agency develop a strategic plan to provide services for GLBT youth?
Yes. Strategic planning is part of all of our trainings and a key component of our technical assistance (TA). We can offer a focused TA session for agencies and schools that have been through the GLBT Youth Support Project trainings and need additional help in developing and implementing new policies, programs, or services to provide care for GLBT youth and their families.
What can training around GLBT youth issues really accomplish?
The goals of all of our trainings are to increase your staff’s understanding of the challenges GLBT youth may face, and to help you identify and implement changes that will enable you to provide culturally competent services for GLBT youth. We also provide resources and technical assistance following all trainings, and staff is available to support providers and agencies in implementing the goals they set during training. The Project has supported hundreds of agencies and schools who, after participating in our trainings, have made large and small changes that have a concrete, positive impact on the lives of the youth they are working to support.
Why do we need training specifically about the needs of GLBT youth? Many of the youth we work with are “at-risk.”
Massachusetts and national data around the health behaviors of GLBT youth documents that GLBT youth are more likely than heterosexual youth to attempt suicide, leave school, abuse drugs and alcohol, and take other risks. These risk behaviors are directly correlated to isolation, on-going bullying and harassment, and other factors that make youth feel unsafe.
The GLBT Youth Support Project believes that there are no “at-risk youth,” only youth in risky environments. Efforts to make school and agency environments safer for GLBT youth generally make these settings safer for ALL youth.
What kind of legal protection do GLBT youth and adults have?
In Massachusetts and nationally, there are a number of laws and policies protecting the rights of GLBT youth and adults. For more details about some of these laws and policies, go to the “legal protection and policy statements” section of our Tools page. For other web sites with more legal information, you can visit the “Legal Issues” section of our Resources/Links page.
How can I find out about local resources for the youth in my community?
You can go to our Resources/Links page to find resources for GLBT youth and their families in Massachusetts and throughout the country.
Additionally, The GLBT Youth Support Project staff is available to provide referrals by phone or email. Please contact us at glys@hcsm.org or (800) 530-2770.
