30 | MARCH 12 • 2020
Jews in the D
A Deep Dive
Federation, others to host LGBTQ+ ally and
advocacy training for Jewish educators.
J
ewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, Stand
with Trans, JFamily and the
Youth Professionals Network
are partnering to present an
LGBTQ+ Ally and Advocacy
training series for Jewish educa-
tors and youth professionals.
The trainings, which began
March 11 at the JCC, start with
a basic course on LGBTQ+ 101.
There, participants will learn
the basics of gender identity
and sexual orientation, includ-
ing terminology, while also
learning about the importance
of paying attention to the men-
tal health needs of these teens.
“We’
re finding that more and
more Jewish teens are strug-
gling with gender and sexual
identity,
” Katie Vieder, director
of teen engagement at the JCC,
said. “But our professionals are
also struggling because a lot of
them don’
t yet have the tools to
support these teens.
”
While there have been other
community trainings with an
LGBTQ+ focus, this is the first
event that allows participants
to take a deeper dive into this
topic, Vieder said.
The Youth Professionals
Network and the Michigan
Board of Jewish Educators
helped by connecting profes-
sionals and Jewish educators
who work with grades 6-12 to
this free training.
“When we were brainstorm-
ing topics to cover, we did
receive a lot of input from the
community,
” Vieder said. “We
asked youth professionals what
they were struggling with, the
difficulties they were facing and
how we could provide support.
”
Roz Keith, president of Stand
with Trans, was consulted to
provide input on the three
sessions. Based in Farmington,
Stand with Trans was found-
ed in 2015 by Keith and is a
nonprofit organization that
provides tools and support to
transgender youth.
“We wanted the training to
be comprehensive … We knew
it couldn’
t be done in 90 min-
utes or one two-hour session,
”
Keith said. “We worked to iden-
tify the topics and areas that
would be the most appropriate
and have the most impact for
this particular audience.
”
The second and third por-
tions of the series will be held
on March 18 and March 25 at
the JCC. The second session is
a deeper dive into gender diver-
sity, featuring a panel of young
adults who don’
t identify with a
gender or sexuality norm.
The final session will focus
on navigating physical spaces.
This can include a scenario
like sending a child off to camp
and ensuring that showers and
bathrooms are available for
youths who don’
t identify as
male or female. It is also geared
toward support for parents and
educating professionals on how
to be an ally for teens, parents
and peers.
“I firmly believe that educa-
tion is really the key to accep-
tance and support — the more
we can learn and the more we
can grow, the better equipped
we are to support our teens who
identify as LGBTQ+,
” Keith
said.
CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER
RSVP at MIUMensHealthFoundation.org,
email info@miumenshealthfoundation.org
or by calling 1-855-66-HELP-MEN
SURVIVORSHIP EVENT
There are over 3 million prostate cancer survivors in the U.S.
Stress/Laughter/Gratitude -- Coping with Cancer
Join us for a discussion on how best to use
laughter and gratitude to manage survivorship.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 6pm
Panel expert:
Terry L. Dibble, MS, RCEP
School of Health Sciences, Oakland University
Moderated by Dr. Michael Lutz
Location: Karmanos’ Weisberg Cancer Treatment Center
31995 Northwestern Hwy. | Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Refreshments will be served.
APRIL 22-26 | DETROIT OPERA HOUSE
BroadwayInDetroit.com, ticketmaster.com, 800-982-2787 & box office
Info: 313-872-1000, Groups (10+) Groups@BroadwayInDetroit.com (subject: The Last Ship)
and oc April 24.
STING STARRING IN ALL PERFORMANCES