LGBTQ support in Sonoma Valley

North Bay nonprofit offering free youth group, training and leadership opportunities to Sonoma Valley students|

The LGBTQ Youth Connection for Sonoma and Napa counties is a nonprofit dedicated to making sure that young queer teens in the Valley feel supported and empowered. To that end, the group is offering three opportunities in the coming months for area youth to get involved in LGBTQ issues.

Sonoma Valley’s LGBTQ Youth Group is for youth ages 14 to 24 to create a safe and fun space to get to know LGBTQ youth in their area and support each other. It meets at the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. Drop-ins are welcome. Email Eliseo Rivas eliseo@lgbtqconnection.org for more information.

The LGBTQ Connection is currently seeking new members for its Youth Leadership Team launch. Youth ages 14 to 24 are invited to be on a six-month intensive team to create an advocacy project that creates a more welcoming community. This is great for young people who want to be on a team, learn leadership skills and take leadership roles.

“Without giving too much away, YLT is a beautiful and transformative experience where youth do a lot of self-digging and self-discoveries in community. Community is the essence of all of this,” says Rivas.

Youth who are interested can fill out the interest form and attend the informational session. More information is online at inyurl.com/YLTinterest. Groups meet weekly and attendance is required.

LGBTQ Connection is also offering a free LGBTQ Best Practice Training. In order to better serve more of Sonoma County, attendees will not only learn about what affects the LGBTQ community, but also what affects the marginalized communities within the LGBTQ community: trans people, Latinx people, low-income people, etc.

“After spending several years developing our LGBTQ Best Practices training and offering the training to Santa Rosa providers that work with youth and families, we are ready to offer the resources to all community members as well,” say group officials.

The free training will cover:

Learning about LGBTQ identity, terms and issues.

Hearing personal experiences from a panel of local young LGBTQ people.

Taking away best practices for what individuals and organizations can do to better reach and serve LGBTQ people.

Having opportunities for discussion, questions and comments.

The training will be on Tuesday, Jan. 22, from 8 a.m. to noon at La Plaza on 2480 Sebastopol Road, Room 44 in Santa Rosa. RSVP at tinyurl.com/ycvanqbg.

Space is limited. For questions or more information, contact Rivas at eliseo@lgbtqconnection.org or call 583-9169.

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