PFLAG's National Staff in the Field and Policy Department, Communictions Department, and Equality Partnerships Department offer training programs for PFLAG members at state and regional conferences, as well through field visits to empower chapters in providing support, education and advocacy for their communities.
Currently, workshops are available in the following topics:
Building Diverse Coalitions
This workshop will cover basic issues such as what is a "diverse" coalition, who to approach and how, beyond the gay and lesbian comfort zone, what to bring to the table, broadening our focus and why "if you build it, they will come" does not usually work! Basic tenets of coalition building will be covered, and practical suggestions offered to address your specific coalition-building issues. This will be an interactive session, incorporating the experiences and concerns of participants.
Straight for Equality
This is a project of PFLAG National that focuses on inviting, educating, and engaging allies in the movement for GLBT equality. Straight for Equality includes a website with information for allies, the guide to being a straight ally, a publication for PFLAGers called You're Invited: A PFLAG Guide to Engaging New Allies, several training programs, and more! To find out more about Straight for Equality, visit the website.
Hate Crime Prevention
Reported anti-gay violence continues to escalate -- along with hate crimes based on race, religion, gender, national origin, and other real or perceived identity characteristics. Many of us live every day knowing such brutality could strike our child, loved one or friend. PFLAG has a critical role to play in helping prevent hate crime in our communities, and chapters across the country are playing this role in many different ways. This workshop provides basic information and definitions for bias-motivated crimes; reviews the causes of hate violence; details hate crime prevention initiatives at the national, state and local levels; and reviews model hate crime prevention programs of PFLAG chapters across the country.
Marriage Equality
The workshop will focus on activities that have been successful for other PFLAG chapters, working with your local equality organization and using PFLAG family stories to your advantage. Will your state be facing an anti-marriage equality amendment in the next couple of years? How well prepared are you and your allies should we be forced to block state level ratification of a Federal Marriage Amendment? Are you hoping to pass a domestic partnership benefits law? Learn both the short term and long term best practices for waging a pro-marriage equality campaign.
Media Training
This training will help chapter members and leaders learn how to work effectively with the media and how to use public speaking skills to your chapters advantage. The workshop will focus on message development, writing an effective press release, building local and national press contacts, relaying your message to reporters and structuring and presenting your message for public events. Learn how speard the PFLAG message within media outlets not always open to the LGBT community.
Membership Recruitment and Retention
This workshop was developed to help participants gain skills to revitalize their chapters by recruiting new members and keeping those seasoned members coming back! It includes strategies designed to fit chapters of all sizes. This workshop will present concrete examples of work done by PFLAG chapters all over the country. Gain the tools to build a stronger chapter and increase your ability to serve more people in your communities.
Safe Schools
In this workshop, participants discuss the pressures LGBT youth face and the need for safe school advocacy, as well as national legal and policy landmarks relevant to safe school LGBT advocates. We discuss safe school programs undertaken by PFLAG chapters and other organizations, and assist participants in selecting appropriate safe school projects for their local PFLAG chapters. Participants will receive extensive information packets containing data on sexual minority youth and articles on the needs of LGBT students, as well as information on tools to address anti-gay violence and the formation of Gay-Straight Alliances.
Strategic Planning
This workshop acquaints participants with the basic concepts for effective strategic planning and encourages them to use these techniques in doing the work of their chapter. Strategic Planning is an all-purpose method for achieving focus, direction and results. Workshop participants will learn how to determine their chapter’s needs. They will then learn how to set goals and objectives and turn their plan into action. The methods introduced in strategic planning will help chapters effectively focus their energies and resources, and succeed in making their communities better places to live.
Strong Chapter Boards and Leadership Development
This workshop examines important leadership qualities, how to identify and cultivate new leadership, different models for local chapter leadership, avoiding burnout, etc.
Transgender Issues
This workshop provides definitions of terminology and basic information on transgender issues and concerns. We discuss the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation, and why the two are often confused -- even by those in the LGBT and allied communities. We also discuss successful methods chapters have used to becoming transgender-inclusive, approaches to educating those within and outside of PFLAG on transgender issues, and transgender-related educational resources available to chapters for their ongoing work. Whenever possible this workshop includes a panel of local transgender people and family members.
Transgender Youth and Gender Variance
Is this child a boy or a girl or does it matter? Youth in today’s schools are increasingly fluid in their expression of gender, sometimes confusing adults and challenging those around them to think again about boy vs. girl. The workshop is designed to uncover the overlapping aspects of sexuality and clarify terminology related to gender expression and identity. Participants will also be provided with resources for transgender youth, transgender civil rights issues, recent school assessments, and available curriculum supplements for classroom use. A resource list will be provided for further study. Time will be allotted for questions and networking.
Train the Trainers (Safe Schools)
This workshop will train PFLAG leaders to make effective presentations to local school and school board personnel.
Working with Elected Officials
This is a workshop on how to conduct legislative visit. It includes: talking points for pro-LGBT bills, and general lobbying techniques while staying within the boundaries of our 501(c)3 status. Also includes working on advocating for and against judicial nominations.
Working with Faith Groups
This training recognizes the important intersection of Faith and Homosexuality. It will train chapters on strategies to use to educate about faith based issues and how best to respond to the arguments of the religious right and other opposition groups. An important component of the training covers how to build relationships and dialogue with conservative faith communities to minimize their opposition to PFLAG's work in such areas as safe schools.
Working with Families of Color
This interactive workshop is designed for white activists to explore ways we might be unconsciously excluding people of color from our organization, and what work we need to do to build alliances with people of color.