Newsletters

January 2021

For our Genetic Counseling Community

Happy New Year! We hope that moving out of 2020 and into 2021 will spark renewed engagement and excitement surrounding everything GCRJ has been working toward. We currently have over 450 members and are looking forward to the year of growth ahead of us.

Recommitment to GCRJ Mission and Vision. Racial Justice is not just a 2020 issue. Moving into the new year, GCRJ re- commits to the Mission and Vision guiding our efforts. Please see our statements below and join us in centering anti- racism in our training and beyond.

Mission: The GC Trainee Platform for Racial Justice (GCRJ) fosters a community of genetic counseling trainees of all races, backgrounds, and identities that is grounded in becoming actively anti-racist. GCRJ was founded in response to the desire of genetic counseling trainees for a dedicated and open space to learn about our roles as individuals and future genetic counselors in the Black Lives Matter movement. GCRJ facilitates self-reflection, self-education, and community learning about anti-racism among all members. As current trainees become rapidly integrated into the genetic counseling workforce, GCRJ aims to empower members to cultivate an enduring culture of genetic counselors who work towards dismantling systemic racism.

Vision: GCRJ envisions a community of genetic counseling trainees that centers lifelong learning and advocacy for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce and approach to genetic counseling.

Who is Our Membership? Currently, GC training program classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 are invited to the membership. Class of 2020 is welcome to participate for 1 year after graduation. Practicing Genetic Counselors, prospective students, and the greater genetic counseling community can stay engaged with GCRJ through our Twitter account and website.

How Can You Connect With Us?

Monthly Newsletter - sent to GCRJ members only, monthly to recap recent events and resources, and share upcoming events, action items, and updates

Slack - open to GCRJ members only as an interactive space to build community and discuss events and resources.

Website - All GCRJ updates are available to the public. Please bookmark this site!

Twitter - @GCRJtweets shares relevant updates to our greater GC community and is a live public forum for anyone interested in our work

January 2021 Events (GCRJ membership only)

Members - please email for access to Google Calendar and Slack Thursday 1/14 5pm PST : Monthly Free Space

Friday 1/21 5pm PST : Committee Recruitment Event

Late Jan : Movie Night


January engagement opportunities - open to Genetic Counseling community

Monthly Reflections- engage with monthly GCRJ Jamboard prompts (Jamboard members only, Twitter for community

We received amazing feedback following our GCRJ Webinar Event on December 3, 2020. Please see our materials from the webinar and let us know if you have additional feedback! As always, please send any questions, comments, and concerns you might have to gcrjteam@gmail.com. Cheers to a new year of learning, action, and growth.

Sincerely,

GCRJ Outreach Committee

gcrjteam@gmail.com | @GCRJTweets

November 2020

Hello GCRJ Members,

Happy November!

We hope you found October’s resources and discussions helpful in your continuing anti-racist education. We look forward to holding more valuable and necessary conversations throughout the month of November. Please see below for an overview of what’s next, and a look back at last month.

In the November Newsletter Google Drive folder, you will find

Intro to GCRJ

GCRJ Mission & Vision, GCRJ Committees, How to join Slack

October 2020 Review

Reminders

GCRJ Calendar

For upcoming events (book/journal club, meetings, etc.), see GCRJ Google Calendar for up-to-date events and links. Request access HERE.

Slack Platform

This organization is housed on Slack, an online platform that allows for easy and organized discussion. See how to join in the November folder. On Slack, we post daily discussion questions to foster conversation and self-education as well as share news about our ongoing events like journal clubs. We have noticed that engagement has been low, and we want your input on how to change this. This group was created to empower all GC trainees to be actively anti-racist, but we need your help to foster an environment that allows for collective community learning and reflection. Please consider the following action items:

  • Take this 10 minute survey to let your voice be heard: https://forms.gle/7vjTppNkxxidwHPDA

  • Play around on slack.com! For help, we have attached a pdf with tips on how to navigate this platform or you can check out the #getting-started channel on Slack.

Other updates:

Many committees are looking for new members! Please reply to this email with interest.

Committees: Mission, Action/Activism, Education, Research, Resource Curation, Outreach

GCRJ Webinar Event: Thursday December 3rd 5PM PST

We will share what GCRJ is and what we’ve been doing, obstacles and all. We are holding this event to

* Educate current members, future members, and the general GC community about GCRJ’s mission and the structure of the organization

* Self-reflect as members of GCRJ to assess accomplishments, challenges, and steps to move forward

We are seeking ideas, reflections, and engagement to make GCRJ work for our community.

Please find details below. You can also find the event on our GCRJ Google Calendar:

Zoom: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/95842446076?pwd=a2FldDZHeit0amR5STlXRis3cy92UT09

Password: 377960

Open to all Genetic Counseling students, professionals, and community

(Please share with your networks)

As always, please reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns. We are happy to work together towards a more anti-racist Genetic Counseling profession.


Have a great month ahead!

GCRJ Outreach Committee

Twitter: @GCRJ