National Youth Advocacy Coalition: 2009 Annual Update

2009 Annual Update

2009 was a year of exciting expansions at NYAC. NYAC leadership became increasingly engaged in the national policy scene, participating in regular meetings at the White House to make sure that the voices of LGBTQ youth are heard in high-level policy discussions. NYAC also expanded its local tobacco program to a national scale, spearheading a National LGBTQI Young Adult Tobacco Working Group which is currently conducting a nationwide survey of young adults. Some highlights from the year are outlined below. Please contact us for more information or visit our website at www.nyacyouth.org.

Show your support for our work in 2010 and beyond!

Capacity Building

Online Trainings – In response to the shrinking budgets at agencies across the country, NYAC began focusing technical assistance on webinars this year. We offered monthly webinars, free of charge, on a wide variety of topics such as creating safe spaces, social marketing and youth-adult partnerships. These webinars drew over 200 participants.
Tobacco and LGBTQ Communities – NYAC was invited by Legacy’s (formerly the American Legacy Foundation) Diversity Committee to present on the topic of tobacco use in LGBTQ Communities. Legacy has provided NYAC $100,000 in funding to further expand our work in this area. NYAC’s National LGBTQI Young Adult Tobacco Working Group is currently conducting a nationwide survey of young adults. The goal of this survey is to identify the usage and attitudes towards tobacco use in the LGBTQ young adult communities and offer recommendations for responding effectively both nationally and regionally.
Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Youth – NYAC was invited to present to the Department of Labor on the topic of safe spaces. The audience was composed of Job Corps supervisors from across the country. It is vital that this residential job training program be able to provide safe places for LGBTQ youth who access this program as a way to complete their education and become skilled and independent adults.
Online Safe Spaces Training Module – A series of YouTube videos that act as a guided assessment of organizations' ability to serve LGBTQ youth in a way that is competent, safe, and empowering for young people. The videos are partnered with worksheets, a pre/post test, and a specialized resource list. --> safespaces.nyacyouth.org
Youth Leadership Institute (USCA) – NYAC conducted a one-day youth leadership training institute at the US Conference on AIDS in October 2009 in San Francisco. This conference is attended by leading HIV/AIDS organizations from across the country and the institute was a skills-building session for youth employees of these organizations so they are prepared to take on additional leadership roles in their organizations. The institute was entitled “HIV Prevention for Youth 2.0” and it introduced innovative technological strategies to enhance HIV prevention programs.
Youth Leadership Institute (Creating Change) – NYAC co-facilitated an all-day institute at the 2009 Creating Change Conference in Denver sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The Boston Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Youth (BAGLY) served as the other co-facilitator. The session was geared towards professionals who work with LGBTQ youth and covered topics such as creating safe spaces and building effective youth-adult partnerships. Approximately 75 people from across the country attended the institute.
“Understanding Trans Youth” Workshop – NYAC sponsored a one-day professional development workshop exploring issues specific to transgender and gender non-conforming youth. The workshop took place in March 2009 in Washington, D.C. and attracted 20 participants. The workshop drew heavily from the National Transgender Education Project curriculum, which NYAC helped to develop in 2007 with Project Q at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center in Wisconsin.
Web 2.0 Utilization Assistance - Provided tailored assistance to community organizations to increase their capacity to reach young people through social media strategies. Created a list of Social Media and Networking resources for HIV prevention workers and youth service providers --> http://www.nyacyouth.org/pages.php?id=25
HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaigns – In 2009 NYAC wrapped up a 5 ½ year CDC-funded grant for an HIV testing social marketing campaign project. The project was so successful during its 5 ½ years that the CDC awarded NYAC a new grant, this time for 4 ½ years, to continue the work of the project, which targets African American LGBTQ youth, and to expand the social marketing campaign to Latino LGBTQ youth. NYAC looks forward to continuing to help organizations target their HIV testing messages to African American and Latino LGBTQ youth.

Youth Engagement

Tobacco Youth Leader Training – NYAC trained 11 DC-area youth leaders in peer outreach skills as well as general information about tobacco use and cessation in the LGBTQ community to prepare them to conduct outreach at this year’s Youth Pride and Capital Pride events. This group of youth succeeded in helping NYAC make this year’s DC Youth Pride a tobacco-free event.
You Know Different Facebook/Myspace Social Marketing Launch - Designed and implemented a social networking strategy to increase outreach and awareness around HIV testing for National HIV Testing Day
Web 2.0 Presence - Regular Twitter presence, live tweeting from events like White House Meetings, Conferences, and Political Campaigns. Also used twitter as a way to organize for the National Equality March
Blog - Regularly blogged with opinion pieces and news sharing on national campaigns, local events, regional conferences, and people in the news. Also highlighted youth organizations, books, media, and film for LGBTQ youth

Advocacy

New Beginnings Initiative – NYAC has partnered with over two dozen LGBTQ advocacy organizations in presenting the new White House Administration with a detailed list of issues which are important to LGBTQ community which they can address within the Executive Branch.
White House Meetings – As an extension of our work on the New Beginnings Initiative, NYAC has convened a number of meetings between White House officials and organizations working with LGBTQ youth. Thus far these meetings have focused on increasing support for homeless LGBTQ youth, increasing funding to LGBTQ youth services, improving treatment of LGBTQ youth by federally funded programs and other issues of importance to LGBTQ youth and the organizations they work with.
Legislative Agenda – NYAC participates in a number of coalitions addressing issues of interest to LGBTQ youth. This year those efforts resulted in the passage of hate crimes legislation inclusive of our community – the first major piece of LGBTQ legislation to ever pass the Congress and be signed into law by the President. We also made important advancements on fighting job discrimination, health care disparities, funding for LGBTQ youth services, access to college financial aid for LGBTQ youth and other Congressional issues of interest to LGBTQ youth.
Youth Empowerment – At every coalition and policy discussion that NYAC participates in, we work to ensure that the voices of LGBTQ youth are heard and that they have a meaningful seat at the table as our movement evolves.
LGBTQ Youth Awareness Week – In 2009 we kicked off our inaugural awareness week campaign to raise awareness of LGBTQ youth and the organizations they work with. Looking towards 2010 and beyond we anticipate this event getting bigger and bigger each year.