Dear Center Community,

Hello everyone! It's David Vance (they, them), Senior Manager of Advocacy & Civic Engagement at The Center! This past Saturday, March 4th, The Center welcomed a group of 20 emerging leaders in the LGBTQ justice movement for the first session of our 2023 Young Professionals Council (YPC) Academy. The first day of the YPC Academy is always full of excitement and energy as we gather in The Center's auditorium. It’s a place where young people who are passionate and motivated to serve our community come together, meet for the first time, and embark on a journey of personal growth, development, and relationship-building.

The applicant pool for this year’s YPC Academy was the largest and most competitive in the history of the program, and we are thrilled to invite this outstanding cohort of change-makers into our Center family as we continue to advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Members of this year’s YPC class represent a diverse range of identities and lived experiences within our community, all bringing different professional backgrounds and perspectives – from campaign organizers to therapists to housing navigators to Ph.D. candidates, our 2023 YPC Academy participants’ personal and professional areas of expertise will help bolster our efforts to build LGBTQ power in San Diego County.

During their YPC Academy sessions, our cohort will hear from leaders at The Center, elected officials, and other prominent community figures to learn about social justice movements in San Diego, sharpen their fundraising, organizing, and communications skills, and prepare to continue the legacy of LGBTQ influence in our region. So much of the joy of the Academy lies in the bonds and working relationships that our class members form with one another. Folks who have met in the YPC Academy have gone on to do impactful work together, and many have become lifelong friends (or in some cases, even partners!) who share powerful connections that transcend professional titles. Our YPC Academy graduates have gone on to become elected officials, City and County Commissioners, board members for local and national organizations, and transformative leaders in our community.

The YPC Academy culminates in a celebratory graduation ceremony, planned and organized by the YPC cohort, that also raises funds for the following year’s Academy. The graduation not only provides the cohort with event planning and fundraising experience, it gives them the opportunity to extend a helping hand and continue the YPC program for the next generation of young leaders. We look forward to inviting you to join us for this joyous celebration later this year, so keep an eye out for more updates.

We are so excited to see all that this year’s cohort will be able to accomplish together and look forward to sharing their stories with you as the Academy progresses!

David Vance (They, Them, Theirs)
Senior Manager of Advocacy & Civic Engagement

• The Neighborhood Food Distribution, part of the Community Cares Project of the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, is free and open to all. Held on the first Tuesday of each month from 8am - 10am. The next Neighborhood Food Bank is Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
• The Senior Food Bank, held in partnership with Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, is free and open to low-income seniors 60 and older. Held on the 4th Tuesday of each month from 1pm - 3pm. The next Senior Food Bank is Tuesday, March 28, 2023. 

• Black Services
• Latin@x Services
• Senior Services
• Youth Services

• Men's Services
• Family Services
• Women's Services
• Transgender and Nonbinary Services

If you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, please take a few moments to complete this #Out4MentalHealth survey and share it with your networks. It supports LGBTQIA+ community members in identifying system strengths and barriers based on our own lived experiences. Your responses will be utilized to help create a statewide mental health policy agenda. 

Share your experiences accessing mental health care by taking the Mental Health Advocacy Priorities Survey: bit.ly/O4MHPP2022

• MPOX vaccine eligibility has expanded in San Diego County. MPOX is now available to anyone who may be at risk. Visit our website for more information about the MPOX vaccine. MPOX vaccination appointments are available at myturn.ca.gov for those without health insurance or healthcare provider. 
• To get notifications of vaccine availability, please sign up to the MPOX alert system by texting COSD MONKEYPOX to 468-311.

• La eligibilidad para la vacuna contra MPOX se ha ampliado en el condado de San Diego. La vacuna MPOX ahora está disponible para cualquier persona que pueda estar en riesgo. Visita nuestro sitio web para más información sobre la vacuna contra MPOX. Las citas de vacunación MPOX están disponibles en myturn.ca.gov para personas sin seguro médico o sin proveedor de atención médica.
• Para recibir notificaciones sobre la disponibilidad de vacunas, regístrese en el sistema de alerta MPOX enviando un mensaje de texto con COSD MONKEYPOX al 468-311.

• Limit of one order per residential address
• One order includes four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests (COVID.gov/tests has more details about at-home tests, including extended shelf life and updated expiration dates)
• Visit sandiegocounty.gov to schedule your vaccine and booster appointment today! Find a location and schedule appointments on My Turn.

San Diego Pride and TransFamily Support Services, with Champions for Health in partnership with San Diego County, have teamed up to host a vaccination clinic to administer COVID-19 first shots, second shots, and the Bivalent booster shots to those who are eligible. They are also offering Flu shots and MPOX vaccinations.

The vaccination clinic will be held on Saturday, March 25th, 2023, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the San Diego Pride Office – 3620 30th Street in North Park. Youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent and/or legal guardian. Appointments are not required but are highly encouraged.

For more information and to sign up, visit the San Diego Pride website.