Gsa Research Model

Research Model According to Valenti, & Campbell, 2009, creating a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) could be a viable solution to the dilemma that this at-risk population faces in their daily lives. GSAs have been created in schools to counteract homophobia. GSAs are extracurricular clubs for LGBT students who are either themselves questioning their sexuality of have a family member that are LGBT allies. According to Luke, & Goodrich, 2015, LGBT youth need friends, allies and supporters to thrive. A lack of diversity and cultural competence training for educators towards student dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity diminishes quality of the “soil” in today’s school system (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 2013).

Youth.Gov, 2017, states that a recent survey shows that 71 percent of

LGBT adults prefer to work in states where there is marriage equality. Proposal Objectives

By the end of this presentation participants should be able to do the following:

1. Increase your self-awareness, regarding LGBT resilience, and the foundations of working effectively with the LGBT population.

2. Develop a basic understanding of appropriate terms and concepts pertaining to biological sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation in order to communicate and provide culturally competent services to LGBT youth

3. Comprehend the importance of power of language in order to identify relative terminology to apply when addressing and completing assessments with LGBT youth

4. Assess the impact of family inclusion on the LGBT youth population.

Conference

Professionals must be heedful when supporting LGBT youth by taking their cultural norms and backgrounds into consideration when attempting to provide them services (Poirier, 2015). It is also imperative that professionals seek opportunities to empower the youth by training and educating LGBT peers to work with and support each other to overcome the adversities. This interactive conference presentation will introduce and define diverse new terminology; while initiating relevant discussions about the spectrums for biology, gender identity, gender expression and attractions. It will also address questions and concerns associated with social norms that elicit bias towards this population. Utilizing icebreakers, interactive solution oriented role plays, and educational group activities; to engage the attendees in an effort to shift their perception of life from the perspective of an LGBT youth (Killerman, 2017). New trends have also emerged as it relates to providing therapy to LGBT youth who grapples with such issues as HIV infection, and changing issues associated with changing one’s identity. In addition there are different dynamics for youth who are transsexual or transgendered as they attempt to find their voice and place to work on identity and relationship concerns (De Angelis,