Youth and the Right to Privacy
2022-10-13 12:00 - 13:30, 2022-09-29 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Is it ok for our kids to keep secrets from us?

In this session, we will explore the tricky balance between young people’s inherent right to privacy and our responsibility as caregivers to keep them safe. How can we protect young people from very real dangers without sheltering them entirely from a world they need to be prepared to navigate? How can we incorporate technology – smartphones, social media etc. – into a changing conversation about privacy? And most importantly, how can we challenge ageist norms that strip youth of their agency and right to privacy in the name of safety?

Youth Autonomy, Empathy, and Ageism
2022-10-12 18:00 - 19:30, 2022-09-28 12:00 - 13:30
As youth mature, having control over their decisions, bodies, spaces, relationships and self-expression becomes an increasingly important part of their development, the formation of their identities, and their readiness to exist in the world as independent individuals. But as caregivers and mentors, we often fail to recognize early opportunities to sew the seeds of independence in young people.

In this interactive session, participants will be invited to reflect on their own experiences and to interrogate the ageist assumptions that underpin our interactions with youth. We will seek to answer questions such as: How does fear drive us to exert more control over youth than is necessary, and how can we manage those fears? How can I safely introduce more autonomy into the expectations I set for youth, while providing the tools for them to meet those expectations successfully? How can I access empathy as a resource to build a strong foundation of trust and honesty in my relationships with youth?

Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of the role of ageism in youth work, a range of tools to approach youth work with empathy, respect and trust, and practical, actionable strategies to cultivate responsible independence in the youth they work with.

POSTPONED Understanding the Difference and Significance of Trauma Informed Care as compared to Historical Traumas, including the impacts on cross-cultural relationships
2022-10-11 10:00 - 11:30
THIS SESSION HAS BEEN POSTPONED. AN UPDATED DATE/TIME WILL BE SHARED WHEN AVAILABLE.
Trauma-Informed Care is very helpful to understand how an individual person may be impacted by trauma. This session expands TIC to entire communities and focuses on how various factors and residual consequences of historical and continuing challenges may create walls or barriers that may impede developing cross-cultural interactions and relationships.

Systems Update: Enhancing Documents & E-Forms to Better Serve LGBTQIA Youth and Families
2022-10-04 12:30 - 13:30, 2022-09-19 18:00 - 19:00
Noticing that your electronic and paper forms don’t give all the information your staff need, or that they don’t work for all of your families? Geared towards directors and other leadership, this interactive session provides practical examples for adjusting forms and for how to work around 3rd-party systems. Bring your forms to help us work through real examples!
Attendance of Names & Pronouns session encouraged.
Prerequisite: LGBTQIA 101.

Names & Pronouns: Making Mistakes and Getting it Right
2022-09-13 18:00 - 19:00, 2022-09-07 10:30 - 11:30
Adjusting to a youth’s new name? Struggling with they/them pronouns? Wondering what to do when the family isn’t on board? This session provides attendees with tips, tools, and NYS laws applicable to communicating with and about youth & staff who are trans and/or nonbinary. Prerequisite: LGBTQIA 101

LGBTQIA 101: Understanding Gender and Attraction
2022-08-23 18:00 - 19:30
*This is a prerequisite for all other LGBTQ sessions.
An interactive [re]introduction to terminology and key concepts related to sexual orientation and gender identity expression. This session serves the foundation necessary for exploring the skills, practices, policies, and NYS laws in the upcoming LGBTQIA sessions. Individuals wishing to attend other sessions from the facilitator must first attend this session.

LGBTQIA 101: Understanding Gender and Attraction*
2022-07-11 12:00 - 13:30
