Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles County’s Post

🌈 Celebrate being you! 🌈 In 2024, we're honoring the remarkable contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals in Medicine and Healthcare. From historical figures to present-day trailblazers, their impact is undeniable. 🏥 It's crucial, especially in a world plagued by hate crimes and discrimination, that we listen and learn from lived experiences within the LGBTQ+ community. Let's come together under the scope of understanding and actively support our LGBTQIA+ people. 💙 Read more: https://lnkd.in/ezYRSAC4

LGBTIQ+ inclusion in commercial paddlesport business ⏰ Tune in to tomorrows confernece session, taking place at 10am! The LGBTIQ+ community is complex and diverse. This introductory webinar aims to provide an understanding of LGBTQ+, its history, and the challenges that the community has faced, past and present, in engaging with paddlesport activity. This webinar will explore: 👉 LGBTQ+ terminology 👉 The value of sport and physical activity for the LGBTIQ+ community 👉 LGBTQ+ role models in sport 👉 The barriers that persist for LGBTIQ+ in sport and physical activity 👉 Top tips for creating environments that are inclusive of and for LGBTIQ+ communities

Celebrate #pridemonth with Gifts for Seniors. Did you know that LGBTQ+ older peole are twice as likely to be single and live alone? Here is a helpful resource for your family: Preparing to Engage with In-Home Aging Services: Tips for LGBTQ+ People April 2024 | Madeleine Thompson, SAGE Intern, MSW '24 Candidate "As we age, there may be times when we need to invite home and community based service providers into our homes. The fact sheet provides you with things to consider before, during and after the services are provided in your home." https://buff.ly/3UVIJtm

Our May School Program session, SERVING: Ballroom & Drag 101, is structured like one big Venn Diagram, with equal attention paid to both cultures, and with the option to either explore one or the other in more depth, or to explore both. 🦋 Although drag culture and ball culture are related, and there can be instances of overlap between the two, we want to encourage LGBTQ+ youth to honor both cultures as unique, distinct, and independent of each other. 🦋 Check out the literal Venn diagram we show the youth in our programs!

3 things that I implore you to remember this Pride season. 1. Allyship is wonderful, but it is something earned, not just claimed. If you say that you are an ally, you must back that up with more than words. It must be backed up with actions. 2. Remember that being out is a privilege. To all who are unable to be out for whatever reason, or who choose to remain private about your situations, you are still valid and you still deserve to have pride. This elder-queer loves and supports you. <3 3. Please remember that while it is wonderful and AMAZING to support small and independent queer artists during Pride season and beyond, not everyone has the financial stability and privilege to do so, and purchasing a small trinket from a big box store may be cheaper, easier, and more accessible for some folx and that is OK. Don't shame people for it, because you don't know their experience or what they are going through. Also, those public corporate displays? They often matter to people who cannot be out for their own reasons. So absolutely celebrate independently, responsibly, etc. But have patience and grace for all. Happy Pride, everyone!

This was one of the biggest ah-ha moments I've had coming out of a Comm Convo. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I often have big ideas and then dig in to work really hard and make it happen. No humble-bragging; my point is the opposite. A weakness with my M.O. is that it's easy to get tunnel vision and not appreciate signs of progress and small wins, because I'm always working toward something else. I think this is why change -- when it comes to more important issues like achieving true equity in [fill in the blank with any industry name here] -- seem elusive. Yes, while it's inarguably important to not lose sight of those master goals, we can do our part to create safe spaces for those in our own communities. Especially in our role as communicators in an industry with human health at its center, we are super well-positioned to lead by example. And the ah-ha moment for me specifically was that seemingly small gestures can have real, meaningful impact, and that shouldn't be taken for granted or worse, sacrificed because we're too busy trying to convince other people to do the right thing.

Sometimes meaningful support is as simple as someone asking, "How are you doing?" and the relief that comes with knowing they can receive whatever you need to say. We're here to help LGBTQ+ folks build a community that gets them and wants to see them thrive. Learn more: https://bit.ly/49GZkY0

What causes LGBTQ+ people to be underrepresented in Stem, and how can we improve inclusion and retention? Join our webinar on 2 July to discuss some of the work being done towards LGBTQ+ inclusion, with Ioana Latu and Bryce Hughes. Book your place: https://rsc.li/4bhJweq

"By fostering open dialogues, strengthening partnerships between community organizations, and championing policies that protect vulnerable communities, Birmingham is poised to set new benchmarks for progress." Learn how Birmingham, Alabama is advancing racial equity, social justice, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity to ensure a welcoming, just, and equitable city for all. Read here: https://bit.ly/4bEGm5U

Doing it right!