Dear Friend of The Trevor Project in Tulare County,
I want to sincerely thank you for expressing an interest in volunteering with The Trevor Project as a Lifeguard Workshop facilitator. This wonderful program takes volunteers into schools to assist youth in better understanding the negative consequences of their language and actions on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people, as well as train the youth about the warning signs of suicide and what they can do as youth lifeguards to help. Through our partnership with county agencies and the Suicide Prevention Task Force, we look forward to launching this program in the summer of 2010 and expanding over the following school year.
To those ends, if you are interested in being part of our dedicated corps of Lifeguard Workshop Facilitators, please read over the attached position description. If this volunteer opportunity seems like a good fit for your interests and talents, please submit a resume/CV and a cover letter outlining why volunteering in this program at The Trevor Project interests you to me at [email protected]. The deadline to apply is 10 July 2010.
Upon receipt of your resume/CV and cover letter, the application process to enter the training class is as follows:
(1) Our program staff will review your letter and resume/CV to ensure on our end it is a good match for the program
(2) A member of our Program Staff will call you in the coming weeks to set up a phone interview that will last approximately 30 minutes
(3) The interview will be completed
(4) Following the interview, we will let you know if you’ve been accepted to the training class
(5) If you are accepted into the training class, please block out the evening of Wednesday July 21 from 6:00 pm to 7:30pm and Saturday July 24 from 10:00am to 6:00pm
Please forward this welcome letter to all you know who might be interested and share this widely. Thank you again for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you,
Dave
Dave Reynolds, MPH, CPH
Advocacy and Education Manager / The Trevor Project
9056 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 208 / West Hollywood, CA 90069
310.271.8845 x258 p / 310.271.8846 f
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.
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Lifeguard Workshop Facilitator Position Description
The Trevor Project has developed the Lifeguard Workshop program in response to an unmet need for suicide prevention education with specific messaging about what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) in schools across the United States. Creating safer schools for LGBTQ young people and providing Workshop participants with the necessary skills to aid a friend in a time of crisis or suicidal feelings is integral to The Trevor Project’s mission of saving young lives.
Goals of the Lifeguard Workshop Program:
helping youth participants examine the impact of their language and actions on the experiences in school and mental health of young LGBTQ people through peer dialogue facilitated by trained volunteers from The Trevor Project
helping them identify the warning signs of depression and suicide among their peers—LGBTQ identified and otherwise
helping them identify the ways to respond to those warning signs in a way that keeps young people safe
Ideal Qualities of Lifeguard Workshop Facilitators:
Sufficient comfort with public speaking and group facilitation (including difficult situations)
Experience with and an interest in working with LGBTQ youth (including a working knowledge of issues related to both sexual orientation and gender identity/expression)
Outgoing, energetic and patient personality
Knowledge of contemporary issues among youth today
Ability to volunteer at different times of the week—including some weekdays
Flexibility regarding the type of Workshop audience (from middle schools to the collegiate level and with youth service providers) and material presented during that Workshop
Commitment Expected from Lifeguard Workshop Facilitators:
An eight-hour training facilitated by The Trevor Project’s Program Staff, Workshop Coordinators, and volunteers
One-year commitment to the program following training, facilitating a minimum of six Lifeguard Workshops, presentations and/or service provider in-services
Debriefing responsibilities following a Workshop including reports and evaluations submitted to the Advocacy and Education Manager
A signature below indicates that you understand the goals of the Lifeguard Workshop program, believe you possess all or most of the ideal qualities of a facilitator, and if chosen to join the program will commit to the criteria specified above.
Name (Printed)____________________ Date________ Signature____________________
