All of our mentors identify on the LGBTQ spectrum and will serve as a guiding voice to questioning youth in terms of developing a sense of their identity and gaining a grasp on who they are and who they want to be as a person overall. Mentors will meet with their students on Saturdays among the exhibitions in the Yale University Art Gallery for one on ones and/or group sessions. These casual meetings will focus on checking in with their students and allowing them to ask any questions surrounding their identities and their development. Out of the Gallery will also offer an opportunity for those who would like to be mentors but are not located in the New Haven area due to school to have call in sessions of 1-2 hours a week. Mentors will have mandatory bi-monthly meetings to discuss activities, workshops, and the progress of their students on Saturdays prior to their one on ones/group sessions. Arrangements will be made for mentors who are out of town to meet this requirement. Activities may include songwriting workshops, improv, and film projects that would be inspired by themes explored in group discussions as well as parts of the Gallery’s collection and its programs. Out of the Gallery will hold monthly orientations for new members to become acclimated to the group and to obtain a grasp on language surrounding GRSM (gender, romantic, and sexual minority) identities. These orientations will provide students with basic knowledge that will supplement any LGBTQ related education introduced in our bi-monthly workshops that will tackle topics such as race, class, and systems of power. OG will also offer a monthly parental education program for parents of LGBTQ youth in the New Haven area that will focus on the dos and don’ts of interaction that will aim to remove damaging micro-aggressions from the home. It will also give parents the opportunity to ask questions and gain advice from the support of parents who have been in their positions before. Out of the Gallery will also partner with LGBTQ groups in the local area to provide the students with a wider range of identities and backgrounds to interact with as well as provide these affinity groups such as UNH Pride and LGBTQ+ Youth Kickback an opportunity to interact with the community. Confidentiality and safety is extremely important to the integrity of this program. Any information shared with parents or guardians must be cleared with the students first except in the event that a student proves to be a threat to their own wellbeing. Anyone involved in this program is expected to respect pronouns and identities or corrective action will be taken. Though mentors voluntarily participate in this program and no licenses or certificates in psychiatric or counseling practice are required, mentors will be held in compliance with the ACA Code of Ethics; specifically sections A, B, D, and H with the exclusion of A.1.b, A.2.e, A.5.e., A.6.c, A.6.d., A.10-12, B.2.a-d, B.3.d, and B.4.b.
