Project THRIVE is a multi-year national campaign of organizations that collaborate to create more equitable, inclusive support systems and communities for LGBTQ youth. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Youth Well-Being newsletter is a benefit to past Time to THRIVE attendees as well as current Project THRIVE members. This month’s newsletter features HRC's celebration of Women's History Month, our March webinar with the HRCF All Children - All Families program, Time to THRIVE in the Mountain States, a recap of our celebration of Black History Month, an article from NBC about college choice, a recap of National Day of Reading, a set of trainings, and a highlight of a speech from the NAACP awards.
HRC Celebrates Women's History Month!
March is Women’s History Month, a celebration of the important roles that women play in American history. HRC is excited to commemorate Women's History Month with the theme of “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” This year's theme, created by The National Women’s History Alliance, highlights the stories of the powerful women who have come before us in all forms of media including print, stage, TV, and more. Join HRC this month by celebrating all the women around us to affirm their resilience and voice.
Project THRIVE March Webinar
Join us on Friday, March 24th at 1:00 PM EST for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar. The webinar, “Native & Indigenous LGBTQIA2S+ Youth in Child Welfare” will be facilitated by HRC All Children-All Families’ Expert Facilitator, Crys O’Grady (she/her) and will highlight the cultural connections that Indigenous and Native LGBTQIA2S+ youth use as a protective factor when navigating the child welfare system. The 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. This webinar is a collaboration with HRC’s Youth Well-Being and All Children - All Families Programs. To register for the webinar, click here.
Time to THRIVE in the Mountain States Registration Open Now!
Time to THRIVE in the Mountain States hosted in Denver, Colorado is right around the corner. Join HRC for Time to THRIVE in the Mountain States on Saturday, April 15, 2023. While the summit will focus largely on Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, all are welcome to attend! Your $100 registration fee covers access to all sessions as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the summit. Click here for registration or here for more Time to Thrive details.
ICYMI: HRC Celebrated Black History Month
HRC closed Black History Month with the release of a resource bank focused on parents of Black transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive youth. The Foundation made a special effort to highlight tools that would allow parents to better understand and combat the discrimination that their children face due to the lack of inclusive policies at the local, state and federal levels.
Just because February is the end of Black History Month, doesn't mean that we can't celebrate Black stories 365 days a year. Featuring parents Shaun & Keisha, YMA, Stephan, and Luchina & David, click below to watch the video featured in the resource bank and hear about their journeys. The resource bank can be accessed at through this link.
College Switch Up
College choice has never been harder for LGBTQ+ students. As students across the country begin to decide what schools they wish to attend in the Fall, many are changing their minds and striking schools off their lists where anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is being pushed according to an article by NBC News. Many students are specifically avoiding schools out of fear of discrimination and violence; Florida is a prime example with a bill on the docket that targets gender expansive education in public universities.
Last month our Project THRIVE webinar brought together experts and youth with lived experience to discuss the difficulties of college choice (click here to watch) . The panelists echoed the sentiment expressed in the article that safety was the number one concern among LGBTQ+ students finding the right college fit. This a dangerous time to be an LGBTQ+ youth and sometimes decisions have to made out of caution. Click here to read the full article from NBC News.
HRC Offers New Training on Sexual Health Education
Project Thrive is proud to present a new free training for youth serving professionals on the sexual health. Titled,Improving Sexual Health Education with Black & Latinx LGBTQ+ Young People the training will provide you with basic insights and tools for navigating the factors that impact sexual health education with Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ young people.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union used their acceptance speech at the NAACP Image Awards to highlight their daughter Zaya Wade and intersection of Black rights and LGBTQ+ rights with a focus a transgender rights. Wade openly admired Zaya for her courage and the village that surrounds her ending his speech thanking her for being a role model.
Union opened her speech asking, "Are we gonna fight for some of our people or are we gonna fight for all of our people?" She demanded that stakeholders highlight the issues and violence plaguing Black transgender people. Their comments come at watershed moment for transgender and gender expansive rights as countless states across the country continue to try to pass violent legislation targeting those communities.
If you or a person you know is thinking about harming themselves or needs to talk to someone — get immediate support. Use this link to the Trevor Project to connect via chat or text or call 1-866-488-7386.
