Join us on Wednesday November 20th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, ”Lost and Found: Supporting Gender Expansive Youth During the Holidays and Beyond.” The end of the year is tough for everyone and many youth feel like the world is crashing down around them as they are potentially forced to interact with less than accepting family members and navigate loneliness and isolation. Further, in a recent survey, 39% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year — including 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people. But did you know that youth with even one safe and responsive adult in their lives report significantly fewer mental health-related concerns?

The Youth Champion Framework is a series of workshops created by Active Minds, the nation's leading youth mental health advocacy organization, that empowers youth serving professionals to facilitate emotionally safe and trusted spaces for youth of all identities. In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance we will have a presentation from the youth development professionals at Active Minds about what it looks like to support the mental health well-being of gender expansive youth through the lens of their Youth Champion Framework. This webinar is co-hosted in partnership with Active Minds.

Join us on Wednesday December 11th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, ”Othermothered: The Importance of Chosen Family During the Holidays.” The holidays can be hard for everyone, especially for LGBTQ+ youth who often have to navigate being around their family while masking their identities. We will hear from a panel of “gay parents” aka othermothers who will provide tips on how to support youth during the holidays and beyond and ways to connect them with mentors who may become “gay” parents. Attendees will leave this webinar with an understanding of why these mentors are so important to LGBTQ+ youth and a new understanding of how to support the young people in their lives.

Join us on October 23 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for a special Project THRIVE Webinar. titled, "Spotlight on LGBTQ+ Youth Data from 2023 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey." Hosted in partnership with the CDC, the webinar will provide an analysis of the LGBTQ+ youth experiences expressed within the new YRBS Data that was released in early August. The data is an expansion of previous CDC SOGIE work and comes at a time when the LGBTQ+ community is experiencing increased mental and emotional distress that is disproportionately affecting young people.

The webinar will be presented by Dr. Kathleen Ethier who is a social psychologist and the Director of CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health. Attendees will leave the webinar with a clearer understanding of the state of LGBTQ+ youth well-being and be equipped to better connect with young people in youth allyship.

This resource is the Spanish language component of the October 2024 Project THRIVE Webinar. It highlights the experiences of Latine LGBTQ+ people and youth and the importance of bridging the generational divides that exist within the Latine diaspora.

The video can be viewed through the YouTube link below.

Join us on Thursday October 10th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, “Saliendo Del Clóset: LGBTQ+ Experiences of Latiné Youth.” In conjunction with the release of the Latiné LGBTQ+ Youth sub-report, National Coming Out Day, and Latiné and Hispanic Heritage month, we will highlight the experiences of Latiné LGBTQ+ youth on their journeys of self-discovery.

The webinar will primarily benefit youth serving professionals, and provide an overview of Latiné LGBTQ+ youth experiences outside of the home. The goal of the webinar is to highlight the ways that youth serving professionals can support Latiné LGBTQ+ students and the difficulties they navigate when coming out. The webinar is hosted in partnership with Mental Health America.

Join us on Thursday September 19th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, ”Reading In Between the Lines; Creating In School Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth.” For our September webinar, we will have a discussion focused on the importance of in-school safe space initiatives as well as what it looks like to support and create in-school safe spaces. This webinar will also act as a part two to our August webinar which is part of our back to school campaign. The panel of experts will briefly discuss the (unofficial) history of in-school safe spaces and the benefits students get from their existence. Further, we will uplift the importance that spaces such as libraries and art rooms hold in creating support systems for students navigating their identity. Attendees will leave this webinar with an understanding of why these spaces are so important to the development and success of LGBTQ+ youth and ways to circumvent the restrictions that prevent explicit support. This webinar is hosted in partnership with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the School Social Workers Association of America.

Join us on Wednesday August 21st from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, ”The Power of Thirds; Creating Extracurricular Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth.” For our August webinar, we will have a discussion focused on the importance of inclusive extracurricular spaces for LGBTQ+ youth. This webinar is a part of our back-to-school campaign and will act as a part one to our September webinar. Our panel discussion will focus on the importance of providing an outlet for LGBTQ+ youth to express themselves and decompress in a non-school space also known as third spaces. Experts from out of school organizations will discuss what modern extracurricular spaces can look like and share tips to help in-school youth serving professionals better support them in connecting with youth. This webinar is hosted in partnership with CenterLink, FIRST, and MENTOR.

Join us on Thursday, July 25th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, ”When We Were Young: Engaging Youth from an Authentic Perspective.” HRC will be taking a look at what it means to authentically engage with LGBTQ+ youth. Youth advocacy is at an all time high, according to a recent study by the Harvard Kennedy School. We will hear directly from youth advocates about how adults can better support their advocacy. Attendees will leave with a toolkit that allows them to not only become allies to youth but to strengthen their roles as the support systems that youth rely on. The webinar is co-hosted by Active Minds.

Join us on Thursday, June 13th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, ”A New Era of Pride.” As Pride celebrations continue to evolve and expand and we continue to celebrate our identities, LGBTQ+ youth are often overlooked. Key findings from our 2023 Youth Report show that while many youth are proud to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community (90%+), over 40% still have negative feelings about their LGBTQ+ identities. To help combat these negative feelings, we will hear directly from youth and youth serving professionals about how to navigate celebrating and attending modern Pride events. Attendees will leave the webinar with a better understanding of why Pride is so important and different ways to connect youth to Pride celebrations. This webinar is co-hosted by MENTOR.

Join us on Thursday, May 23th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, “Sextortion: What You need to Know.” The webinar will feature a presentation by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about sextortion. The content will come from their Netsmartz series and provide parents, caregivers, and youth-serving professionals with a set of tools and tactics to combat the sexual exploitation of LGBTQ+ youth. This webinar is co-hosted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Join us on Thursday, April 25th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled,“ Support-Ed: Supporting Sex-Education Advocates.” The webinar will feature a presentation by Advocates for Youth about the well-being of sex-ed advocates. Following this, we want to open the floor to a Q&A with a selection of questions from the live audience as well prepared questions from advocates and educators across the country. We want attendees to leave the webinar with an understanding of the importance of sex-ed and how they can support themselves and those who continue to advocate for sexual health. This webinar is co-hosted by Advocates for Youth.

Join us on March 27, 2024 for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, “2023 Youth Report: Disabled LGBTQ+ Youth.'' The webinar will feature a brief presentation of key data from HRC’s sub-report on the responses from disabled LGBTQ+ youth. Additionally, the webinar will include a conversation with youth and educators on how to best support disabled LGBTQ+ youth. Attendees will leave the webinar with a better understanding of the experiences of disabled LGBTQ+ youth and strategies to support them. This webinar is co-hosted by the National Education Association (NEA) and Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE).

Join us on Tuesday, February 20th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar titled, “2023 Youth Report: Black LGBTQ+ Youth'' The webinar will feature a discussion between Black LGBTQ+ youth and Black youth-serving professionals about key data points from the Black LGBTQ+ Youth Report. Attendees will leave the webinar with a better understanding of the issues that affect Black LGBTQ+ youth and the different ways that they talk about their identities and their experiences. This webinar is co-hosted by American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

Join us on Wednesday, January 24th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar, titled “The State of Advocacy.” The webinar will feature a brief presentation by an HRC expert about the state legislative session. This will be followed by a conversation with youth serving professionals who have been advocating for LGBTQ+ youth on the ground. Attendees will leave the webinar with an understanding of the year to come and how they can better advocate for the LGBTQ+ youth they work with leading up to the 2024 presidential election. This webinar is co-hosted by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).

Join us on Tuesday, December 5th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar, “The Impact of Hate: The Effects of Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation.” The webinar will feature a presentation by Sarah Warbelow, HRC’s Vice President, Legal, Policy & Political Affairs and a panel discussion with parents, and educators. The webinar will highlight the past year of legal and legislative challenges to LGBTQ+ rights and give a glimpse of what is on the horizon for 2024. This webinar is co-sponsor by the National Education Association (NEA) and National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA).

Join us on Thursday, November 16th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar, “Act Up! Fight Back! Fight Hate!; Youth Political Engagement” The webinar will feature a panel of youth experts discussing youth political engagement even if young people aren’t old enough to vote. The webinar will act as a resource for both youth to get plugged in and for youth serving professionals to learn how to better support youth looking to engage in the political process at any age. This webinar is co-sponsored by Queer Youth Assemble (QYA).

Join us on Wednesday, October 11th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar, “Breaking Down the Closet Door.” The webinar will feature a selection of youth and their parents who will have a conversation around the coming out process with families. The webinar will be facilitated by Niya McCray-Brown, LPC (she/her) who act as Mental Health America’s Director of Community Engagement. The webinar will act as a resource for parents, caregivers, and youth serving professionals to better understand how to engage with youth who are coming out and how to create affirming spaces. This webinar is co-sponsored by Mental Health America (MHA).

Join us on Wednesday, September 20th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar, “HRC's 2023 National Youth Report” The webinar will feature a presentation by Ted Lewis, the Youth Well-Being Program Director, followed by a panel discussion with a school social worker, a public school educator, and a school counselor. The webinar will take a look at the survey data and begin a discussion around how the data can inform real world situations. This webinar is co-sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA), American School Counselor Association (ASCA), and the School Social Worker Association of America (SSWAA).

Join us on Thursday, July 27th 4:00 - 5:00 PM EDT for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar, “Welcoming Schools: A Panel of Key School Stakeholders Advocating for Safe and Affirming Schools” The webinar will feature a panel discussion between the director of the HRC Welcoming School Program, Cheryl Greene, a parent, an educator, and a teacher. The webinar will highlight the Welcoming Schools Annual Report and the ways that the program has benefitted youth serving professionals and parents. This webinar is co-hosted with National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the HRC Welcoming Schools Program

Join us on Thursday, June 22th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar, “Power in Pride; Celebrating Intersectionality.” The webinar will feature a panel discussion between HRC’s Youth Ambassadors, community partners, and moderated by Dr. David Rivera with the Steve Fund. The webinar will highlight the importance of Identity Prides in uplifting multiply-marginalized youth and the emotional benefits of having a place where intersecting identities are celebrated. This webinar is co-hosted with the Steve Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.

Join us on Thursday, May 25th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar. The webinar titled, “The Sexual Health of Marginalized Youth,” will feature an interview of Vanessa Castro (she/her), the HRC HIV and Health Equity (HHE) Deputy Director, by Ralph Jones (he/they), the HRC Youth Well-Being Program Manager. This webinar focuses on a newly released training module developed by Dr. Tracie Gilbert, with notable input from Vanessa, titled, “Improving Sexual Health Education with Black and Latine LGBTQ+ Young People.”
The webinar aims to explain the importance of the module and how youth serving professionals can utilize the material to benefit their communities with questions provided by the American School Health Association. This webinar is co-hosted by the American School Health Association and HRC’s HHE program.

Join us on Wednesday, 4/26 at 2:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar. The webinar, “LGBTQ+ Youth on the Autism Spectrum” will be facilitated by HRC All Children-All Families’ expert facilitator, Alyssa Fenix. This webinar will teach participants affirming practices for supporting autistic LGBTQ+ individuals, including a breakdown of up-to-date and inclusive terminology, and primary experiences/accounts of what it means to be autistic and LGBTQ+, as well as ways that your organization can be inclusive and accessible. This webinar is a collaboration with HRC’s Youth Well-Being and All Children - All Families Programs.

Cultural connection is a protective factor for Indigenous and native LGBTQIA2S+ youth impacted by the child welfare system. This webinar is designed for child welfare professionals looking to develop a deeper understanding of providing culturally responsive and culturally relevant resources and supports for Indigenous and Native LGBTQIA2S+ youth. Topics include an overview of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, best practices for providing holistic support to youth impacted by generational and historical trauma, and resources specific to working with Indigenous and Native LGBTQIA2S+ youth and tribal child welfare agencies.

Join us on Thursday, February 23th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM ET for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar. The webinar, “Decision 20??,” will be facilitated by Ralph Jones who serves as Youth Well-Being Program Manager and will feature a panel of diverse educational professionals and youth with lived experience. This webinar will highlight the challenges that LGBTQ+ youth face when picking a college that affirms their identity and meets their academic ambitions. This webinar is co-hosted by the National Association of College Admissions Counselors and HRC’s HBCU program.

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Join us on Thursday, January 26th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar on LGBTQ+ youth. This month's webinar, " The Truth about Big Tobacco and LGBTQ+ Youth" will feature the Truth Initiative and be facilitated by Bryan Coleman, Director of Experiential Learning. This webinar will highlight the ways that "Big Tobacco" creates predatory ads that target marginalized youth and provide youth serving professionals with the skills to combat these campaigns.

For many LGBTQ+ youth, the winter holidays can be fraught with difficult family dynamics and isolation from school and peer support. In this webinar, we will take a closer look at some of the unique challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth, from anxiety about being with extended family members who are not supportive, to intensified loneliness while away from friends, GSAs, and other supports. We will point to skills and tactics youth can turn to if they are feeling especially stressed out this time of year, and how family members and providers can help to mitigate the challenges.

The A in LGBTQIA stands for more than allies. When your youth comes out as asexual they are trusting you to create a safe space for them in which they can feel accepted and loved for who they are. But what does it mean to be asexual? How can you support your youth on their journey? Join us for a presentation and panel discussion to learn more about the coming out process and supporting asexual youth.

All young people deserve to see themselves reflected in the books they read and in the stories they are told. Join HRC’s Project THRIVE and Welcoming Schools for a conversation on the power of representation in books featuring educators, youth, and our Project THRIVE partners at the American Association of School Librarians.

It’s back to school season, but this year seems even more difficult due to the avalanche of anti-LGBTQ+ legislations targeting LGBTQ+ youth. Join HRC’s Project THRIVE Webinar to hear from HRC experts on the current state of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation targeting youth, as well as our partners at the NEA who will share how educators are dealing with this onslaught, and finally hear directly from youth and families impacted by this legislation.

June is Pride Month! Join us on Thursday, June 30th at 2:00pm Eastern for our monthly webinar titled “All Things Pride: A Conversation Among LGBTQ+ Youth Leaders” . Through this HRC Youth Ambassador-led webinar, attendees will learn about the history and significance of visible Pride, and how they as youth-serving professionals can navigate Pride with their youth and support their youth during Pride season.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Join us on Thursday, May 26th from 2:00 - 3:15 PM Eastern for our monthly webinar on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health with the President of the American Counseling Association, Dr. S. Kent Butler (he/him) and HRC Foundation Youth Ambassador Kei (any pronouns), “A Conversation on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health”. This webinar will be informed by current data on LGBTQ+ youth mental health and include recommendations for counselors in supporting and advocating for LGBTQ+ youth. This webinar is for ALL youth-serving professionals but will be geared towards mental health counselors.

Join us on Thursday, April 28th at 2:00pm Eastern for our April webinar, “The Importance of Schools in Mitigating the Effects of the Pandemic among LGBTQ+ Youth”, presented by Dr. Kathleen Ethier (she/her/hers) from the CDC’s DASH. New CDC data reveal the magnitude of challenges youth have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey is the first nationally representative survey to assess the impact of the pandemic on adolescents. Although all youth experienced some level of disruption and adversity, these experiences have not affected all students equally. Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, other or questioning experienced disproportionate levels of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors, abuse at home, and other adversities. Schools serve as one critical venue for mitigating these negative experiences and now, more than ever, must be places where all students are receiving the support they need to thrive.

Join us to learn about:

1. Disparities in students’ experiences during the pandemic;

2. Strategies to build safe and supportive learning environments for LGBTQ+ youth; and

3. Ways to support adolescents’ recovery and resilience.

If you have questions for Dr. Ethier you’d like to ask in advance, please use this Google Form to submit questions in advance of the webinar. If we have time at the end of the presentation, we will do our best to answer your question. Submit questions here: https://forms.gle/H9vcvzc7CNih...

Join us on Thursday, March 31st at 2:00pm Eastern for our next Project THRIVE webinar, “Assets and Allyship: Supporting LGBTQ+ Educators In and Out of the Classroom”. LGBTQ+ educators exist in classrooms across the nation and globe, whether they’re “out” or not. But, in this divisive climate in the United States, not all LGBTQ+ educators feel safe or supported inside or outside of the classroom. Have you ever considered how to effectively support, advocate, and uplift LGBTQ+ Educators? In this webinar, members of the National Education Association (NEA) Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) committee will share best practices, intersectional approaches, various resources for implementation and advocacy, along with candid conversations of their experiences and resolutions.

Click here to register! We ask that you submit all questions for this webinar by filling out this quick Google Form by Wednesday, March 30th at 11:59pm

GLSEN's Changing the Game is a groundbreaking program that started in 2011 to address bullying and exclusion of LGBTQ+ students in physical education class and school athletics. Register for our webinar on Thursday, February 24th from 2-3:15pm Eastern, LGBTQ+ Youth in Physical Education and Athletics, presented by GLSEN Sr. Youth Programs Manager, a.t. furuya. After a decade of leading the field in LGBTQ+ advocacy, Changing the Game has been revised and expanded to include guides, trans inclusion, and a new ambassador program. Webinar attendees will have access to the program resources, tips for inclusive PE, facilities, and athletics, and will hear from LGBTQ+ students and why this program and advocacy is important especially in today's political climate.

For our December Project THRIVE Webinar on December 16th at 2:00pm Eastern, the Director of HRC’s Youth Well-Being Program, Dr. Vinnie Pompei, will be holding office hours for youth-serving professionals with questions about supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Please be sure to register by clicking "Register Now!" and immediately after registering you may submit specific questions for Dr. Pompei to consider responding to during the “office hours” via Google Form. We will do our best to respond to all submitted questions, and if time permits, live questions in the chat. Some recommended themes for questions include supporting LGBTQ+ youth during the holidays, dealing with family rejection, questions about terminology, or navigating school issues, but any questions on supporting LGBTQ+ youth can be sent through the form linked below.

Submit questions for office hours here: https://forms.gle/pqtaur61fA8y...

To view the webinar recording, register at the View Webinar link. Once your registration has been submitted, email ted.lewis@hrc.org to receive the webinar recording passcode.

BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities are often criminalized in school, leading to their overrepresentation in school discipline and the juvenile legal system. When schools prioritize criminalization over care, they leave these students extremely vulnerable to the short- and long-term consequences of the School to Prison Pipeline. In our November Project THRIVE Webinar, Seeing the Signs and Stopping School Pushout, Sabrina Bernadel (she/her/hers), Equal Justice Works Fellow at the National Women's Law Center, will cover school pushout, the School to Prison Pipeline, and how students who live at the intersection of multiple traditionally marginalized identities are targeted by these phenomena. Join us on November 18th at 2:00pm EST to learn about the School to Prison Pipeline and protective factors that can enable you to support your students and dismantle pushout in your schools.

Please note: this workshop is for all youth-serving professionals, with an emphasis on those who work in school settings.

2021 has been an extremely challenging year for transgender and non-binary youth, with legislative attacks on gender affirming medical care and sports inclusion, and many other vitriolic debates in pop culture. This webinar will feature a panel of diverse parents of trans and non-binary children ranging in age from 10 to 16, and will provide insight to educators and other youth-serving professionals on the firsthand experiences of parents have as they navigate schools, healthcare, and other social and support services for their children. They will share about their respective journeys to understand their child's gender identity, their approaches to providing a safe, supportive family environment, and what they and their children most need and want from educators, providers, and other youth-serving professionals. The webinar will address the impact of intersectional identities on their child's well-being, such as how being Black, Latine, or Asian interplays with being trans or non-binary, and how current systems are falling short in addressing the multiple identities and needs of their children.

October is LGBTQ+ History Month, which provides a powerful opportunity for educators and youth-serving professionals to both learn about and teach their young people about LGBTQ+ history in America. Facilitators Rick Oculto (he/him/his), Education Manager at Our Family Coalition and Erik Adamian (he/him/his), Education Director at ONE Archives Foundation will share strategies for advocating for and implementing inclusive education. This webinar will include best practices for teaching inclusive LGBTQ+ history and social science, discuss prominent figures and events, and practice methods of applying an LGBTQ+ lens to history that is already being taught. This webinar will be geared towards teachers, educators, after-school professionals, and other youth-serving professionals who work closely with young people. History has often been told through the perspective of the privileged which has made the presence of queer history mostly unknown. This webinar and its presenters are dedicated to interrupting this narrative and acknowledging the necessity of discussing the intersecting cultures and identities within queer history and working towards a just, anti-sexist, and anti-racist framework within education.

As K-12 educators prepare for a new school year, many are looking to start off the school year right with inclusive practices that will create safe and welcoming environments for LGBTQ+ students. In this webinar, retired 32-year veteran public school educator and Welcoming Schools Expert Trainer, Toni Smith (she/her), will be joined by a panel of HRC Youth Ambassadors, including Luke (they/he/she), Nico (he/they), and Ash (they/them) to discuss what top actions K-12 staff can take to center inclusivity and create a safe and welcoming environment for all LGBTQ+ students.

In recognition of Pride Month, Project THRIVE’s June webinar will focus on how to cultivate pride for LGBTQ+ youth throughout the year. According to HRC’s LGBTQ+ Youth Report, 67% of LGBTQ+ youth hear their families make negative comments about LGBTQ+ people and only 13% say they hear positive messages about LGBTQ+ people in school. Anti-LGBTQ+ bias and stigma, along with high rates of rejection negatively impact their ability to thrive in school and beyond. Educators, counselors, and other youth-serving professionals have the opportunity to proactively create environments that are safe, welcoming, and affirming of LGBTQ+ youth while cultivating a sense of pride in their identities. In this webinar, the American School Counselor Association’s 2019 School Counselor of the Year, Brian Coleman, will facilitate a panel discussion with diverse LGBTQ+ youth to discuss what Pride means to them and how youth-serving professionals can promote and celebrate LGBTQ+ identities every day.

Being a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) community and belonging somewhere on the sexual orientation and gender spectrum is a complicated issue for many APIDA individuals. The intersectionality of race, immigration status, gender identity and/or sexual orientation, class, and religion can make coming out a fraught and challenging process. As APIDA folks, we rely on our communities and family of origin to provide support during challenging times and the coming out process can cause us to lose our support. This webinar will focus on some of these challenges, explore their impact on mental health, and identify ways to navigate these challenges with a panel of APIDA LGBTQ+ youth.

LGBTQ+ youth are significantly more likely to experience family rejection, violence, and abuse. As a result, they are over-represented and under-served in the child welfare system. With up to 7 times more placements than their straight and cisgender peers in foster care, these young people often experience both complex trauma and educational deficits. These experiences can dramatically reduce their opportunities for successful young adulthood. This workshop will explore ways that you, as a school counselor, social worker, or psychologist, can make a difference.

The number of young people identifying as bi+ is increasing dramatically, and it’s not easy being bi+. Bi+ youth face higher rates of suicidality and intimate partner violence and are less connected to support and resources than their lesbian and gay counterparts. We will look at population and disparities data, with attention to the experiences of bi+ youth of color and the impact of holding multiple marginalized identities. Next, we will explore messages and stigma that surround this community, and clarify what it means to identify with a non-binary sexuality. Finally, we will discuss strategies for supporting youth with non-binary sexualities. Click here to access the slide deck.

The term “coming out” has become so mainstream that many people assume that it is simple. In this session, participants will learn about what it means to come out, some of the ways that living authentically positively affects the lives of people who are LGBTQ+, and the power and impact of supportive families, schools, workplaces, and communities. We will also discuss many of the cultural expectations around coming out in the US and the disparate impact those expectations have on BIPOC and trans/nonbinary youth. Finally PFLAG will share recommendations for individuals working with youth who are planning to come out, as well as for allies who want to do all they can to celebrate and support youth that have recently come out as LGBTQ+.

LGBTQ+ youth face unique challenges in their sexual, physical, and mental health as compared to their peers, and the lack of LGBTQ+-inclusive sexual health education is a driving factor. This panel, featuring experts and LGBTQ+ youth, will cover important topics such as the need for inclusive curriculum and programs, addressing HIV among LGBTQ+ youth, and domestic, dating, and sexual violence among LGBTQ+ youth. The panel will address the need for comprehensive, inclusive sexual health education, and provide tools to help youth-serving professionals better support LGBTQ+ youth with HIV, and youth experiencing intimate partner violence.

This webinar will open with background on non-binary identities and lead into a panel discussion with four non-binary young people who will discuss what their gender means to them - and how these identities overlap and compound with the many other identities they hold. Panelists will offer their perspectives to youth-serving professionals, and share what it looks like to be affirmed at school, in places of worship, in health care providers’ offices, and beyond. They will address common misconceptions about non-binary youth, and celebrate the joy and beauty of being non-binary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is the only surveillance system designed to monitor a wide range of priority health risk behaviors among representative samples of U.S. high school students. National, state, and large urban school district surveys are conducted every two years among high school students throughout the United States. This webinar will describe trends in these behaviors and experiences of adolescents, and highlight differences among sexual minority youth and their non-sexual minority peers. The webinar will also cover these trends for trans and non-binary youth, and also provide a discussion on the practical implications of this data.

Latine LGBTQ+ youth face a myriad of barriers based on their lived experiences, which can differ greatly. There are several factors that play into the experiences of Latine LGBTQ+ youth, such as immigration status, current and historical cultural dynamics based on their familial country of origin, family dynamics, as well as religious background and faith adherence. This webinar will cover how these factors impact Latine LGBTQ+ youth, how to navigate familial rejection, and cover some of HRC's Latine-focused resources: the Latine LGBTQ+ Youth Report, Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ+ Latine Americans, and Coming Home to Catholicism and Self.

This Project THRIVE webinar will introduce participants to intersectionality -- a theory that calls on us to recognize that oppressions are linked and cannot be resolved alone -- and how it informs our efforts to affirm, welcome, and empower all young people. The devastating impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities and the national protests against white supremacy and police brutality serve as stark reminders for the urgency of our work supporting young people as they navigate multiple systems of oppression. In a new Project THRIVE video, participants will hear directly from HRC Youth Ambassadors discussing intersectionality and how those caring for youth can put it into practice.

In this webinar, the presenters explore ways mental health providers can support LGBTQ+ young people of color identify and externalize the impacts of anti-BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) racism while also cultivating their own empowerment and liberation. In doing so, the presenters invite providers to deeply reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic and protests against anti-Black racism provide mental health providers a different lens to examine our own internalization of racism, anti-LGBTQ+ bias, and other interlocking oppressions that influence mental health service provision.

This 101 training provides an overview of the unique needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. Going beyond statistics, this session looks at the ways in which systemic oppression shapes the ways in which LGBTQ+ navigate our homelessness systems, and provides concrete ways to provide equitable, affirming services.

In this webinar, we leverage data from multiple sources including The Trevor Project's groundbreaking 2019 National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health to help participants better understand the lives of LGBTQ+ youth through the lenses of sexual orientation, gender identity, race/ethnicity, and age. Findings will highlight the ways youth with intersecting identities experience discrimination, victimization, and rejection, as well as how these experiences impact depressed mood and suicidality.

Families can learn to support LGBTQ+ children and youth – even when they believe that being gay or transgender is wrong. This webinar focuses on supporting LGBTQ+ youth in the context of their families to decrease family rejection and serious health risks and promote acceptance and well-being. Dr. Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project talks about establishing the field of family acceptance and her research and work with ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse families with LGBTQ+ children that is changing how families nurture LGBTQ+ children and youth and how services are provided across systems of care.

This webinar highlights some of the research and lived experiences of youth with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) and their experiences, historically and contemporarily, within family systems and systems of care.