| |
|
DESCRIPTION
OF WORKSHOPS SESSION A |
|
A1: Building And Extending Families is
for participants who either are planning to have a first child
or are considering bringing a new child into their family. |
|
First there will be a brief overview of the issues and challenges
that emerge for gay and lesbian couples (or single individuals)
who choose to have a family in Florida. You will gain insights
into the options you have for starting or building a family whether
by domestic or foreign adoption or by biological means (alternate
insemination and surrogacy). |
|
Participants will then break up into work groups to pursue
one of those options in depth. These groups will be set up with
special attention to the different backgrounds and needs of the
participants, both men and women. |
|
A2: Financial Tools for LGBT Families in Our Tough Economy
will
focus on making the best financial choices for our families during
the current economic downturn. We will consider how to budget for
family needs and be ready for the various financial challenges
of family life. |
|
A3: Talking With Your Children I - Focus on Young Children
This has proven to be one of the most popular sessions
in past VOF conferences and we have learned much over the past
few years about what children do, and do not, say to their parents,
to their friends and to their teachers about our families. This
is a unique opportunity for you to work together with other families
to help each other meet your children where they are with “being
in a gay family,” whether your need is to address a 7 year
olds’ lack of understanding who Daddy’s partner is,
or wishing to have a Mommy like everyone else, or a 10 year old
being harassed at school for having two moms, or embarrassed about
her family, or a teen who is rejecting everything about his parents,
or helping your child work through confusing messages from a grandparent
who is not accepting of your relationship. Participants will identify
the questions and spend the day working through the practical issues
of addressing those questions. Sharing experiences is a key element
in this workshop. The morning session will focus on young children
(up to age 12). The afternoon will focus on relationships with ‘tweens
and teens, as well as relating to older children whether after
coming out from a straight marriage or as child grow up in a gay
household. |
|
A4:
Our
Transgender Families I – Toward Understanding, Acceptance
and Welcome
Relationships
with our families and friends so strongly affect how we feel
about our core identity, including gender. |
|
This workshop track is a day long forum designed for anyone
dealing with questions of gender. It may be helpful for you if
you have transitioned or are in the process of transitioning, or
if your sense of yourself is less defined by society’s gender
labels, or if you have a child, a sibling, a parent who has transitioned,
or if your child is questioning their gender or in any stage in
a process of transitioning. |
|
Facilitators will help group members identify key family issues
in the morning session that will help determine the course of discussion
for the day. Through guided discussions, you will not only learn
from one another about ways to improve the quality of ”family” life
(however you define family), but you will build a network of support
that may resource you into the future. You will also have the opportunity
to learn about community resources. |
|
A5: Enhancing Your Relationship
(AM
Session focuses on Intimacy and Communication Skills) This is
a series of 2 sessions to help you and your partner (or potential
partner?) learn ways to improve your communication and
intimacy skills. Take this special time to refresh your connection
with each other.You will have the opportunity to learn these skills from some
of the LGBT community’s best relationship experts focusing
on communication in the morning and then sex and romance in the
afternoon. Single parents will have the chance to address issues
of dating; couples will address sexual life between partners
when parental roles and responsibilities intervene. |
|
top |
| DESCRIPTION
OF WORKSHOPS SESSION B |
|
B1:
Protecting
Our Families
focuses
on the legal concerns LGBT families must face, given that our
relationships are not formally recognized and discrimination
is now written into the state constitution since Prop 2. In this
workshop we will focus on legal issues, considering what kinds
of legal documents can/should be drawn up to give the best protection
in an uncertain future. We will consider such matters as property
rights, custody, being prepared for the unfortunate possibility
of a separation or death of one of the partners, medical power
of attorney and the like. |
|
B2:
Opening
Doors: Lesbian and Gay Parents in Schools
This
will be a discussion based on two Family Pride publications: Opening
Doors: Gay and Lesbian Parents in Schools and Opening
More Doors: Creating Policy Change to Include Our Families exploring
the ways in which LGBT parents can pave the way for safety and
inclusion for their children in school. Come learn how to work
with your child’s teachers, school administrators and parent/teacher
organization in public and private schools. Public school administrators
and social service providers will join in conversation with you
at this workshop. |
|
B3: Talking with Your Children II – Focus on ‘Tweens
and Teens
This has
proven to be one of the most popular sessions in past VOF conferences
and we have learned much over the past two years about what children
do, and do not, say to their parents, to their friends and to
their teachers about our families. Sharing experiences
is a key element in this workshop. The afternoon will focus on
relationships with ‘tweens and teens, as well as relating
to older children whether after coming out from a straight marriage
or as child grow up in a gay household. |
|
B4:
Our
Transgender Families II – Toward Understanding, Acceptance
and Welcome
The afternoon session builds on topics identified at
the morning session. Topics are determined by participants in
the morning session. |
|
B5: Enhancing Your Relationship (PM Session focuses on sex
and romance. There will be separate groups for men and women).
This
is the afternoon portion of the series of 2 sessions to help
you and your partner (or potential partner) learn ways to improve
your communication and intimacy skills. The focus is on sex and
romance in the afternoon workshop. Single parents will have the
chance to address issues of dating; couples will address sexual
life between partners when parental roles and responsibilities
intervene. |
| |
|
YOUTH
PROGRAM TRACKS |
|
Two programs are planned for young people. One focuses on
gathering the young children of LGBT parents for fun activities,
peer bonding and self expression. The other focuses on providing
LGBT youth and their friends various opportunities to speak and
be heard by their peers and supportive facilitators. There will
be a special emphasis on helping young people tell their life stories
and raise their concerns with honesty and self assurance. It will
be a safe and empowering place. |
| |
|
SunCentral (ages
13-17) 10:30 – 3:00 |
|
With a special emphasis on self esteem and communication skills
development, LGBT teens and the teenage children of LGBT parents
both will have a unique chance to bond with their peers. There
will be a special emphasis this year on gathering teens from local
GSAs and opportunities for new nurturing new friendships. Teens
will be taught socio-drama skills – ways to express their
experience in group settings led by SunServe’s Youth Program
Coordinator. Teens attending this session will have the opportunity
either to join the Broward Youth Socio-drama Ensemble, or the Broward
Youth Chorus, or just learn ways to better communicate with their
friends and peers at school or in the community. |
| |
|
Camp
Sunshine (ages 3-12) 10:30 – 3:00 |
|
There
will be a series of activities for children in various age groups
throughout the day. We plan to have various children’s focus
cultural/arts/crafts organizations involved. There will be various
visible products of their activities (e.g. art work, etc.) This
children’s program does not represent itself as “child
care.” Rather it is an educational and recreational program
provided under the supervision of professionals and trained volunteers.
Activities include arts, crafts, story telling, movies, games and
discussions appropriate to the child’s age group.
-
The
children’s activities will be presented by professionals.
-
The
children will have their own rooms for their activities.
-
Parents
are welcome to participate with the children in each of their
activities.
-
Children
will be broken up into age groups for their activities.
-
Children
will have lunch with their parents.
-
Each
child will have a name badge.
-
We
will know what workshops their parents/guardians are in all day.
Each
parent will be asked to sign a permission form at registration.
NOTE – We
cannot accommodate children under three in our children’s
program. Children must be toilet trained and able to interact with
other children in their age group. This program does not constitute “child
care” as that term is technically used to license “child
care” providers for day care programs. |
|
|
| |
|
GENERAL
SESSION: “Across the Generations” 2:45 – 4:00 |
|
At the general session, the children from gay and lesbian
headed households, LGBTQ teens and their friends as well as gay
and lesbian parents gather to share experiences of the day with
each other. The assembly will experience an improvisational socio-drama
presented by our teens – a way for families to tell their
stories of struggles, challenges, hopes and love across the generations.
This is the only event of its kind anywhere! LGBT teens will see
models of how to be gay parents. Gay and lesbian parents will experience
what it is like to mentor a new generation of LGBT youth. Children
from LGBT households will have the chance to tell their own stories.
There will not be a dry eye in the room! |
|
|
