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