From Roadblocks to Bridges

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Taylor L. Teichman, National Sexual Violence Resource CenterFollow

First Presenter's Institution

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

Second Presenter's Institution

N/A

Third Presenter's Institution

N/A

Fourth Presenter's Institution

N/A

Fifth Presenter's Institution

N/A

Location

Verelst

Strand #1

Safety & Violence Prevention

Strand #2

Family & Community

Relevance

Underserved young people who have experienced sexual violence and homelessness often do not have autonomy in creating their own space, support for themselves, or advocating and deciding which paths and choices are right for them. We as caregivers, professionals, and loved ones have a strong obligation to look at the intersections of their lived experiences. A young person’s culture and housing status, are just a few of these pieces dictating how an individual is victimized and heals from that victimization. These are the places where young people from our communities often fall through the cracks of major systems. We hope to illustrate how to build trauma informed, youth informed, bridges for these systems (professionally and personally).

Brief Program Description

Through lecture and hands-on activities this workshop builds on understanding the layers of oppression of sexual violence, and meeting the needs of young people who have experienced sexual violence. This workshop will assist all professionals in their understanding of what sexual violence means for those from the LGBTQIAH+ youth community.

It will assist those in creating strategies for building bridges and making supports for these young people and their families/loved ones

1. Participants will have the basic knowledge of the intersectionality of sexual violence, LGBTQIAH+ youth, race, and class.
2. Participants will create 2 skills in bridging the gaps for these survivors.
3. Participants will leave with a framework (provided by presenters) in building or supporting community response teams to sexual violence for these youth

Summary

The intersection of sexual violence faced by LGBTQ youth who struggle with stable housing is one that is often overlooked. This workshop will educate youth allies on the ways in which this combination creates vulnerability for youth and how we can provide holistic, community-supported services.

There are steps that every organization can take to foster a better future for these youth. Some of these practical steps include: involving youth throughout the decision-making process of services; addressing youth as more than a label of LGBTQ or the product of victimization—they are whole beings with resiliency that we can help build upon; providing basic needs of food, shelter, and human contact as ways of healing; managing our expectations for these youth on the desires and needs of the youth; and creating plans/steps to address this in our own communities with collaboration and capacity building efforts.

With our youth facing such a high burden of stable housing and facing acts of violence on a daily basis, it is relevant to all attendees of the conference. The intended audience is for anyone who works with youth to address their needs and of those who can influence the systems in place that fund, create policies/laws, manage, or operate such services.

Evidence

The National Alliance to End Homelessness has found that 21-42% of homeless youth who identify as LGBTQ have also experienced sexual violence. Based on various research from The National Network for Youth, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Urban Institute, and from such organizations as 40 to None we are learning that homelessness is a reality for a disproportional amount of LGBTQ youth and that there is a connection between homelessness and sexual violence. Exploring how we [as individuals, organizations, communities] can integrate what we already know about sexual violence and implementing trauma-informed practices when working with survivors; Linking the Roads, Working With Youth Who Experience Homelessness and Sexual Violence has been a compilation of research and best practices from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) addressing trauma-informed care, factors of sexual violence from a social justice viewpoint, and housing for a framework for providing services that are both a holistic and a community approach tailored to serving LGBTQ youth.

Biographical Sketch

Taylor Teichman is the Online Resource Specialist for NSVRC. With over 10+ years of involvement in the movement to end sexual violence she serves as an ally on advocating for gender equity and ending all forms of violence through trainings, resource development, and social media advocacy. Prior to NSVRC, her professional background involved work in corporate project coordination, research and communication, and as Education Advocate for a multi-service program in rural PA serving a wide range of children, adolescents and adults with prevention education, community activism and as crisis counselor. She holds a Bachelors from Millersville University.

Keyword Descriptors

LGBTQ, young people, sexual violence, trauma-informed, community, intersection

Presentation Year

2018

Start Date

3-5-2018 1:15 PM

End Date

3-5-2018 2:30 PM

Recommended Citation

Teichman, Taylor L., "From Roadblocks to Bridges" (2018). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 19.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2018/2018/19