City of Ventura’s Post

Today is the final day of Pride Month. But Pride should continue in our actions, our words and our support for friends, family members, employees and everyone in the LGBTIQA+ community. Pride Month is certainly a reminder to us that the community has made amazing strides in being out, being visible and creating advocacy. To me it also marks a sad recognition of the continued, frightening shift towards more violence, more anti-LTBGTA+ legislation and more hate. That is why we need to strive be visible and active Allies, for example by voting for people who truly support the community, contributing to non-profits like the Trevor Project, displaying an Ally pin and engaging in 1-1 conversations.  I ask the community here to do the same, both during Pride Month and year round. I recently had a conversation with a friend about pronouns – why did my youngest change their name, redefine their gender identity and use the pronouns he/him and they / them. My response was that I use the name they adopted and pronouns they use because they are words with meaning for them and therefore also for me. It also simply isn’t up to me, but rather an act of love and respect for how a person wants to live their life. Language, society and politics have always changed and evolved but respect, kindness and compassion for people should remain constant. #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA+ #Allyship https://lnkd.in/evASM9D3

Curious about what RHP does and how we do it? Join us on the first Saturday of each month to contribute and hear about our insights. Details for the February gathering are below!

Help Us Connect with LGBTQ+ Non-Profits for a Community Capacity Needs Assessment! 🌈 For my internship this summer, I'm working on an important project under the guidance of John Pachankis: conducting a community capacity needs assessment focused on LGBTQ+ non-profits in the Tri-State Area (NY, NJ, CT). To make this project a success, I need your help! If you know of any LGBTQ+ non-profits in the Tri-State Area, I would love to hear your recommendations on community stakeholders and organizations I can interview for this project! Your input will help us identify crucial organizations and understand the needs and gaps in services for the LGBTQ+ community. 📍 What We Need: Names and contact information for community stakeholders at LGBTQ+ non-profits in NY, NJ, or CT. Your suggestions will directly contribute to a publicly accessible report and help shape future collaborations, ensuring we make a meaningful impact together. Please share your recommendations in the comments below, message me directly, or fill out this quick form: https://lnkd.in/e-uuHXMZ Additionally, feel free to pass this along to others or share within your own networks! Thank you for your support in helping us understand the needs of LGBTQ+ organizations in the Tri-State Area! #LGBTQ #NonProfits #CommunityHealth #NeedsAssessment #YSPH #Collaboration #SupportLocal #TriStateArea #NonProfitOrganizations #CommunitySupport #LGBTQSupport #LGBTQCommunity #NYNonprofits #NJNonprofits #CTNonprofits #NonProfitWork #StudentEngagement

Just finished working on another Taproot project. These projects help great people who do great work at the nonprofits they are associated with. This project was developing a style guide for an amazing nonprofit in Texas called Flaming For Jesus (FFJ). I worked with their CEO Marissa Bonner to develop the style guide that included clean-up work and usage guidelines for their logo (and seal), stationery, verbiage for their elevator pitches, and marketing talking points with the goal of helping them elevate the important work they do. FFJ nurtures the spiritual and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals affected by religious trauma and discrimination. So any designers, marketers, copywriters, web folks, etc. looking to do #probono work should check out Taproot at https://lnkd.in/ewFrQYQk #Volunteeer #Help #Support #MakeADifference

If your employee resource group (#ERG) has Q1/Q2 budget to spend, I invite you to support local LGBTQ+serving organizations- particularly those focused on youth. The brutal beating and death of Nex, a 16 year nonbinary child, was preceded by anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, anti-trans school district policies, anti-trans school policies, and the firing of vocally LGBTQ+ supportive teachers from their public school. That’s 4 levels of systemic supports that not only failed to protect Nex, but were actively weaponized against and/or stripped away from them and their peers. I’ll continue giving to Twin Cities- based organizations below to ensure that Queer youth have access to identity affirming support. I encourage you to comment with additional orgs in your area where ERGs or individuals can donate or volunteer: Family Tree - community clinic PFund Foundation - scholarships RECLAIM - mental health access Avenues for Youth - for unhoused youth Out in Tech - career mentorship

Check this out and think if this might be right for you?

One thing I'm asked about most often is book recommendations, so I'm excited to be able to share about Hope in a Box, now a project of Advocates for Youth. They offer curated book lists centering the stories of LGBTQ+ people and their experiences to support classroom inclusion and learning about our diversity of lived stories. And! Educators can apply to get tiers of support from Hope in a Box - from peer support, to dissemination of book lists and curricula, to capacity-building training. Apply to access these resources below! This experience is designed for anyone of any identity, knowledge level, and role as an educator (i.e., teachers, counselors, librarians, etc. of any grade). #sexed #healtheducation #educators #librarians

Start the new year off strong by supporting Envision:You and become a GEM (Gives Every Month) donor by clicking the link below! https://bit.ly/3J4Bzh7 Becoming a monthly donor is a great way to show your support and spread out your financial impact all year long. Our monthly donors are vital as they allow us to continue to address the urgent mental health needs of the LGBTQ+ community, and for that we thank you! #lgbtq #lgbtqcommunity #newyear #monthlygiving #monthlydonors #nonprofit #mentalhealth #queermentalhealth #queernonprofit #wellness . . . [Image 1 description: [There is multi-colored confetti falling on a blue background. The text in large white letters in the top middle of the image says "Happy New Year!" The Envision:You logo is directly below. The text below the logo says "Our work to address the mental health crisis in the LGBTQ+ community is not possible without you. Click below to become an Envision:You monthly donor."] End description.]

I had the privilege and honor this past weekend to facilitate an intergenerational group of non-profit professionals providing frontline services and community support to LGBTQ+ youth in Southwest Alabama. We gathered at gorgeous Cheaha State Park (Alabama’s highest point!) and had a heavy, deep, and real conversation about white supremacy - what it is, who created it, why, and how it functions inside of ourselves, relationships, institutions, and society today. Things really cracked open during our exploration of some of the core attitudes and behaviors of white supremacy culture - perfectionism, control, binary thinking, and judgment. Participants took a close look at how these characteristics show up in themselves individually, and spoke openly and honestly with each other about how these characteristics are operationalized across their organization. We talked a lot about how these attitudes and behaviors, control and perfectionism in particular, serve as dysfunctional survival strategies that simultaneously create safety and earn rewards in certain contexts (i.e. as one of the few openly queer organization in a hostile, religiously conservative context that is fielding constant attacks from opponents and constant attention from partners and funders who demand “respectability”) and at the same time lead to disconnection, both among the predominantly white team and with the broader community of Black and brown LGBTQ+ youth that they wish to build authentic relationships with. We asked the question - When and how does it serve us to project ourselves as an organization that has our shit all the way together, and when is this projected image that we work so hard to create actually blocking authentic connection? We ended with the touchstone of “dirty aprons” - When and where can this team take appropriate risks to show their “dirty aprons” in service of authentic connection? The team left our session feeling more clear, committed, and connected - to themselves, to each other, and to their purpose to do the hard, messy, uncomfortable work of creating islands of safety and belonging for as many LGBTQ+ youth in Southwest Alabama as possible. #LGBTQyouth #LGBTQliberation  #antiracism #southsolidarity

Happy Pride Month! Every year, June is our opportunity to celebrate, honor, commemorate, and stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. We take a moment to reflect on the past. We pay tribute. We spend time in community with each other. We dance! We remember that each one of us, regardless of our sexual orientation or identity, is worthy of #belonging. So where do we start the celebration? There are so many impactful (and fun) ways to celebrate #Pride. Here are my top three ways to get involved this month: 1. Get Out There: Be a part of your community. Support your local Pride events. Attend fundraisers, parades, marches, and festivals. Donate your time or money. Write your local legislators. Get involved. And read books! 2. Gain Local Knowledge: Do you know the history of Pride Month where you live? What are some of the struggles and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community in your town or city? What are the some of the issues currently being faced right in your backyard? We need to all be better educated because knowledge is key to change. 3. Be an Ally: Stand in solidarity, whether you're a part of the LGBTQ+ community or an #ally. Use your voice and privilege to always speak up. While going to events and celebrations is always a great time, keep in mind that this month is about the fight for #equality, justice, and the right to be who you are. Let's embrace this spirit of diversity and inclusion during Pride Month and beyond. Because when we do, we create spaces where we can all be free to live authentically and thrive. Because love is love, is love, is love. Happy Pride! 🌈