Workshops
The first step to creating this project was to identify what workshops I wanted to offer. Identifying what kind of influence and impact I wanted to have on my community was important.
Workshop #1 LGBTQ+ Core Competency
What does it mean to identify within LGBTQ+ and why is important to my own personal and professional life?
This workshop offers basic information related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. Topics covered include vocabulary/terminology, the history of the LGBTQ rights movement, common misperceptions and stereotypes, and ways to be supportive of the LGBTQ community during one’s everyday life.
This workshop will allow participants to leave better educated on the LGBTQ+ community. This allows them to have a better understanding of what their peers or themselves go through everyday giving them a stronger sense of community.
Here is a photo of guest speaker, Athens Marron (he/him/his), a Cal Poly Humboldt student, sharing his experience with coming out as Queer and exploring both his gender expression/identity.
I first tried out this workshop with the Shades of Love club back in 22'. I worked close with my club advisor to find influential members of our community that were interested in guest speaking during our club meetings. I was determined to create these opportunities for club members in order to allow them to hear their unique experiences. It was a very positive and impactful experience for them to see figures who were once in their shoes thriving outside of highschool. This allowed club members to ask any questions they needed and gain guidance on how to better process/handle some common everyday obstacles LGBTQ+ youth face. The guest speakers offered their guidance on topics like coming out and exploring your gender identity.
Workshop #2 Community Building
How can we help one another and support the LGBTQ+ community?
This workshop offers participants the opportunity to connect with the people around them through crafts like the creation of a button with the pronouns they feel most comfortable using or the flag they feel most secure with. As participants create their crafts, they will be answering discussion questions to allow everyone to socialize.
Example Discussion Questions :
“What were some things that made it easier finding the pronouns that felt the best to you?”
“When did you first start noticing something was different about you?”
“When did you first become aware of the LGBTQ+ community?”
This workshop will allow participants to bond with one another, creating a deeper sense of community as they create relationships with one another. They can bond over similar experiences and hear the experiences/perspective of peers. This will reduce the feeling of loneliness that many LGBTQ+ youth often experience.
The idea of incorporating crafts during these community building workshops was inspired by an event I created for the club where I planned a Bring Your Own Coloring Book Day . I had gone to a nearby dollar general and bought a couple coloring books to share with club members. We had provided cookies so club members can snack on as they colored and interacting with the people around them. I created a collaborative club playlist in the beginning of the year made from club member's recommended songs so I made sure to have that on. A very comforting atmosphere was created and many club members formed deeper connections with one another. It truly built a stronger sense of security and community for many of these LGBTQ+ students.
The inspiration for a discussion based workshop came from a similar event that I also created. A padlet was created with some discussion questions regarding how some of the students deal with harassment here on campus. It was difficult to choose a discussion question on an obstacles LGBTQ+ kids might face at school because there are so many. I went with harassment because it is an obstacle that I too struggled greatly with last year so I felt more determined to hear the experiences of my fellow peers. Club members were encouraged to answer in their own words and if comfortable then share it with those around them. The experience inspired club members to trust those around them and listen to the way their fellow peers deal with the obstacle. This created a stronger sense of community and decreased the loneliness many LGBTQ+ youth experience when dealing with common everyday obstacles. It gave them insight on possible better coping mechanisms and guidance on a possible issue they are facing and could face in the future.