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Next Level Program
Produced by the
HRC Foundation
Next Level is a 12 week program on job readiness, financial health and wellness created by the HRC Foundation and delivered to LGBTQ+ folks in partnership with local community-based organizations (CBOs).
The Next Level program provides skills-based education and resources to LGBTQ+ young adults focused on navigating biased employment and financial systems and gaining increased economic stability. The program centers the experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ adults aged 18-30 years old, with a specific focus on Black and Brown and trans and non-binary job seekers.
The program includes the following three pillars of content, all delivered through a self-empowerment and critical consciousness lens:
| JOB READINESS | FINANCIAL HEALTH | WELLNESS |
|---|---|---|
| Job searching | Spending | Physical |
| Applying | Saving | Mental/Emotional |
| Interviewing | Borrowing | Spiritual |
| Succeeding on the job | Planning | Communal |
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Program instruction is delivered by the HRC Foundation; with both synchronous (weekly classes delivered via Zoom) and asynchronous components (delivered through financial wellness digital platform WorthIt).
Learn More About Next Level
Want to learn more about the Next Level program and future opportunities to bring it to your community? Complete the short form below to receive program updates.
Next Level Pilot Sites
Next Level is being piloted by two sites from August 2023 to March 2024.
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is one of the pilot sites for the Next Level program. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Bradbury-Sullivan provides a vibrant, inclusive space for all of the region's LGBTQ+ residents.
The center produces affirming community programming and addresses barriers to care through their LGBTQ+ health programs. Bradbury-Sullivan organizes their region’s annual Pride festival and makes the Lehigh Valley more equitable through their LGBTQ+ Education Institute.
The MOCHA Center at Trillium Health
Founded in 1996 as the Men of Color Health Awareness Project, The MOCHA Center of Rochester, New York, has worked to educate Black and Latino men about living a sex-positive life.
Now in partnership with Trillium Health, they’ve turned into a community health center that offers both community and health in equal amounts—providing a safe place for LGBTQ+ folks to network, socialize, and address any health issues they face.
Frequently Asked Questions:
We’re glad you’re interested in participating! The program is currently being piloted in partnership with CBOs in two areas: Allentown, PA and Rochester, NY. The HRC Foundation hopes to expand access to the program in future years after the pilot. Be sure to sign up for updates.
In the meantime, you may find these resources helpful as you pursue your employment and financial goals:
We’d love to partner with you! After the pilot is completed, the HRC Foundation will be looking for opportunities to expand access to the program to additional communities. Sign up for updates today.
Have a more specific or time-sensitive request for information? Reach out to the team at nextlevel@hrc.org.
WORTHIT
The HRC Foundation has created WorthIt, a digital financial wellness platform that inspires and motivates LGBTQ+ folks to improve their financial health & well-being.
Councils
The HRC Foundation’s Next Level program is supported by the work of our Advisory Council and Community Council. These council members play an active role in program design by informing curriculum development, supporting program implementation and advising the HRC Foundation on strategies to maximize programmatic impact. One of the councils’ first priorities was creating a set of guiding principles for the program. These principles are listed below and are at the center of program operations.
Next Level’s current roster of council members includes community members and organizational leaders from across the United States including representatives from LGBTQ+ centers, for-profit businesses and local governments.
Equity, Inclusion, Intersectionality
This program must foster success across intersectional identities, radically welcoming all experiences and be built on queer joy and liberation.
Centering Community
This program should be built with the community it intends to reach, honoring lived experience and wisdom.
Cultural Responsiveness
This program should be culturally and linguistically relevant and address the context of participants’ experiences with workforce and economic institutions.
Individualized / Tailored
This program must be adaptable to participants’ experiences and flexible in its approach.
Strong Design
This program must be strengths-based, trauma-informed, and take a human-centered design approach.
This project’s evaluation must be culturally responsive and focused on outcomes and impact.
Blake Allison - LifeCents (Washington, DC)
Jazzmun Crayton - APAIT (Los Angeles, CA)
Tiersa Curry - Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center (Allentown, PA)
Jako Douglas-Borren - Brooklyn Community Pride Center (Brooklyn, NY)
Veronica Barrios Garcia - Pridelines (Miami, FL)
Elise Hernanez - SAGE (Chicago, IL)
Jonathan Lykes - Liberation House (Atlanta, GA)
Dr. Tamarah Moss - Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)
Jessie Pocock - Inside Out Youth Services (Colorado Springs, CO)
Mya Power - Power Safe Place Resource Center of Virginia (Front Royal, VA)
Luis Quiñones - UnidosUS (Washington, DC)
Cy Richardson - National Urban League (New York, NY)
Quincey Roberts, Sr. - City of Boston (Boston, MA)
Sarah Rosso - Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation (Pittsburgh, PA)
Dr. Héctor Torres - Colibri Counseling (Chicago, IL)
Ruben Bermudez (Gaithersburg, MD)
Nephi Bigby (Atlanta, GA)
Ashley Garcia (San Francisco, CA)
Monique Griffin (Eugene, OR)
Andrea Montanez (Orlando, FL)
Mejour Mook (Seattle, WA)
CJ Moseley (Atlanta, GA)
Vanessa Warri (Los Angeles, CA)
Trinitee Wilson (Philadelphia, PA)
Tatyana Woodard (Philadelphia, PA)
Have further questions? Reach out to our team: nextlevel@hrc.org
Related Resources
GenEQ Guide to Entering the Workforce
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My Body My Health
HRC has joined Gilead Sciences to launch the coast to coast initiative “My Body, My Health,” to break through the barriers and systemic injustice affecting the sexual health of our Black and Latine LGBTQ+ communities.
Get Sex PositiveFunders
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