2020 International LGBT+ Youth Workers’ Conference

General Conference: Saturday 28 March 2020, 9am – 5pm at MMU Brooks, 53 Bonsall St, Manchester M15 6GX

Saturday evening social: Saturday 28 March 2020, 5pm to late at Grano, 49 Stretford Rd, Manchester M15 5JH

Meet me at the Intersection: Sunday 29 March 2020, 12-4pm at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, All Saints, Manchester M15 6BH

This year the format will be different as we are running events over two days – attendees are welcome to attend one or both days.

Saturday is the general conference. Sunday is a day called “Meet me at the Intersection”. Referencing the term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, this will be a day of activities looking at intersecting identities and the interaction between different power structures, and how this applies to our work.There will be presentations, activities and discussions around this theme.

This is a collaborative conference with representatives from a range of organisations across Ireland and the UK.

Who is it for? This is for anyone engaged in LGBT+ youth provision whether as youth workers or managers/directors of a youth organisation. The conference workshop sessions are diverse, ranging from activities for youth groups to fundraising strategies. Attendees select the workshops they wish to attend in advance.

Keynote: We are delighted to welcome back Professor Elizabeth McDermott as our keynote speaker. Elizabeth is Professor of Health Inequality in the Faculty of Health & Medicine at Lancaster University. Over the last two decades her research has concentrated in particular on understanding why LGBTQ+ young people have elevated rates of poor mental health. Her keynote will be on “LGBTQ+ Youth Work and Human Rights”.

What to book for more than one person? If you would like to book for a number of people but do not have all their details to complete the booking form via Eventbrite, please contact Carina (details below). We will be able to take one payment for multiple people and then ask each attendee to complete a registration form ahead of the event (to capture access and dietary needs, workshop preferences etc).

Saturday Conference Programme: Please note that the programme is subject to change!

Workshops in session 1:

• Managing and supervising staff – supporting staff within the LGBT+ community (ethics, issues and nuance) (Ali Ronan, The Proud Trust)
• Gender-related violence in LGBT+ relationships (Lukasz Konieczka, Mosaic) and Considering safeguarding in your work (Cath Hayes, The Proud Trust)
• Digital romance research and implications for youth work (University of Sussex)
• LGBT+ young people and health policy priorities (Dr Michael Brady, National Advisor for LGBT Health and Terrence Higgins Trust)
• Trauma Informed Practice with LGBT+ Young People (Lee Cullen, Cara-Friend)
• Building a better service: LGBTQ+ youth and mental health support (Dr Rachael Eastham, Dr Stephanie Davis and Dr Emily Pattison, Queer Futures 2)

Workshops in session 2:

• How to set up young person- led volunteer projects (Gillian Brien, LGBT Youth Scotland and Sarah Anderson, BeLonGTo)
• Use of games and sport in youth work (Matty Donaldson and Hebe Phillips, The Proud Trust)
• What we count, counts! Measuring outputs and outcomes. What , how and why it matters (Nicola Booth, LGBT Youth Scotland)
• Persuading influencers (panel: Billi Jean Summerbell, Allsorts, Paul Roberts OBE, Consortium, Moninne Griffith, BeLonGTo, chaired by Ameila Lee, The Proud Trust)
• Running youth pride events (Andi Herring, Liverpool Pride and Olivia Ouwehand, The Proud Trust)
• Sex critical awesomeness – updates, activities and discussions to help make relationships and sex education more LGBT+ inclusive (Dr Ali Hanbury, The Proud Trust)

Workshops in session 3:

• Trans and non-binary: addressing transphobia and providing support (Sam Cresswell and Kelly Stubbs, The Proud Trust)
• Work with lesbian, bisexual and pansexual women: addressing misogyny and providing support (Hebe Phillips, The Proud Trust and Shane Smart, BeLonGTo)
• Quality contemporary youth work (Leigh Middleton, National Youth Agency)
• Supporting BAME/People of Colour, and recognising and addressing racism (Chloe Cousins, The Proud Trust)
• Rainbow Flag Award Roll Out: An invite-only workshop for organisations that have been successful in a recent selection process to become delivery organisations for England-wide LGBT+ inclusion scheme for schools, The Rainbow Flag Award (Rachel Williams, The Proud Trust)
• Working with LGBT+ young people and SEN-best practice learning (Hannah Greenslade, SAYiT)

Workshops in session 4:

• Online / digital youth work (Craig Wynn LGBT Youth Scotland and Hugh O’Keeffe, Mosaic)
• Planning your fundraising strategy (Oisín O’Reilly, BeLonGTo)
• Practical tools and resources to use in groups:
• Queering Fairy Tales from the LGBT History Month Pack 2020 (Matty Donaldson, The Proud Trust) and Trans Youth Residential Guide (Gendered Intelligence)
• Developing initiatives to address LGBTphobic hate crime (Catherine Bewley, Galop)
• Quality assurance measures (Liz Harding, formerly Youth Focus NW)
• Therapeutic youth work: what it is, how we do it and why it matters (Sally Carr MBE, The Proud Trust, and Dr Louise Theodosiou, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)

Please note that this programme will change. In particular, it will be updated as details are finalised.

Unfortunately, we have had to raise the ticket prices this year due to increased third party costs, the booking fee and tax. We recognise that for some people this may be a challenge – if this is the case, please get in touch with us.

Hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please contact Carina – carina.badger@theproudtrust.org