| |
Rainbow
Alliance for Youth (RAY) of Wisconsin
In
the last several years, Wisconsin has gone through some profound
changes where gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning
youth are concerned. Five years ago, two GLBTQ youth groups
existed—one in Madison and one in Milwaukee. There are
now ten different groups specifically designed to enhance
the well being of GLBTQ youth in Wisconsin. Only a handful
of other states in the country can claim such broad support
for the interests of GLBTQ youth and very few are organizing
on a statewide level like Wisconsin. RAY focuses on building
capacity, nurturing leadership and strengthening collaborations
to develop comprehensive programs addressing the needs of
GLBTQ youth in Wisconsin and throughout the country. By integrating
GLBTQ youth programs into mainstream community efforts around
prevention, youth and social justice issues, RAY can focus
on GLBTQ youth as leaders and resources to their community,
maximizing their development and risk prevention as well as
enhancing communities.
|
The
purpose of the development of the Rainbow Alliance for
Youth is:
- To
address the isolation and invisibility of sexual minority
youth
- To
provide education about social justice and community
organizing.
- To
empower youth people as caring, contributing, productive
and responsible citizens
- To
advocate for sexual minority youth in schools, social
service agencies, and communities.
- To
support young people as activists and change agents
in their community.
|
|
|
Unique
Program Elements of RAY Member Groups:
RAY
member groups share perspectives of several key aspects
of the work of developing LGBT youth in communities.
- First,
they use an LGBT Youth Development Model. This model
incorporates several innovative concepts and strategies
as applied to a LGBT youth population. It holds that
LGBT youth develop through planned and unplanned means
and are subject to socially induced stressors that
increase risk and challenge resiliency. It further
proposes that youth are a community asset, so community
failures in addressing the needs of LGBT youth constitute
both a personal crisis for youth and families involved,
and a public cost of lost potential and the consequences
of risk behaviors.
- RAY
member groups all work to address seven Program “Pillars.”
Based upon the Healthy Kids Resilience Assessment
and other youth development literature, a system has
been established that identifies seven pillars, or
a framework, of the best programs for LGBT youth.
These pillars consist of friends and relationships,
group responsibility, engaging experiences for youth,
safe space, prevention skill development, links to
other community organizations, and a sustainable organizational
structure. The discussion and application of program
pillars to the ongoing work of each LGBT youth program
or organization is the focus of the youth development
specialist training.
- RAY
member groups also adhere to guidance on Program Policies.
Diverse and Resilient has been developing a series
of guidance documents on policies regarding program
mission statements, safe space development, substance
and tobacco use, and adult/youth relationships for
LGBT youth groups. Essential components of each policy
are identified by both adult and youth expert panels
which also later attest to the adequacy of the RAY
member groups’ adherence to the guidance.
|
RAY
Groups
(in
alphabetical order by city)
|
