Becoming an inclusive and affirming mentoring program is more than hanging safe zone posters and using personal pronouns. This requires a practice of allyship and leveraging our personal empathy and vulnerability to ensure that young people in our care—especially those on the margins—are safe and affirmed.
The LGBTQ+ Ally Program is a rigorous six-month long training, coaching, and organizational change experience that leverages research-informed best practices to help you and your team build and sustain a culture of inclusion and belonging for LGBTQ youth, volunteers, staff, and stakeholders.
Ally Programs receive:
Agencies completing the program will receive a badge of commitment that can be visibly displayed to highlight ongoing intentions to ensure LGBTQ youth are able to thrive within their programming. You will also have policies and practices that can be sustained over time that can and will make a difference.
This program is designed to encourage personal and organizational learning and requires initial buy-in from organizational leadership and ongoing commitment from participating staff to engage in vulnerable spaces for learning and growth.
Please note, Mentorist does not currently have outside funding for our Fall 2024 cohort. We are actively looking to secure future sponsorships from national and state partners. We welcome payment based on a sliding scale and will ensure that any accepted program is able to participate.
In 2021, Mentorist partnered with Mentor, Mentor Minnesota, and Nia Clark (MSW) to facilitate the first cohort of LGBTQ+ Ally Programs.
Please click on the link below to hear program experiences with this initiative and their suggestions for creating safe and affirming services for LGBTQ youth.
Copyright © 2024 Mentorist Consulting - All Rights Reserved.