Bridge Conference 2019

The population of children who are identifying on the LGBTQ spectrums is increasing, and despite our skills and best intentions, many professionals find themselves uncomfortable and/or uninformed when it comes to addressing the unique needs of non-straight clients.

Often the sole source of dependable, comprehensive, sex education, we must be both willing and able to address the needs of our students/clients.

Addressing queer issues and behaviors helps minimize the effects of the harassment of gay and LGBT students, which contributes to high suicide and dropout rates among queer teens.

It is the responsibility of professionals working with this cohort to be as well-versed and sensitive to non-straight/ non-cisgendered culture as possible.

This workshop will involve a combination of lecture and PowerPoint.
I will;
• Define current terminology and lingo relevant to queer/ youth culture.
• Provide some health statistics, and an overview of queer history through the lens of popular culture.
• Explain some of the unique challenges and dynamics in serving queer populations.
• Provide some guidelines and encouragement for best practices when doing so.
• Engage with humor, brief opportunities for sharing (mostly in the form of hand-raising), plus Q and A and a couple of fun quizzes along the way.