Community In-Site

Family Should be a Safe Haven for LGBTQ+ Youth with Shawn Mitchell and Currey Cook

Proximity Design Studio & 14th Street Studios Season 1 Episode 6

In this episode, Tecoria and Elliot open the door to a real and vulnerable conversation about the importance of LGBTQ+ youth inclusion. They talk to Shawn Mitchell, a Youth Contributor to the Safe Haven project, and Currey Cook, a Senior Counsel and Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project Director at Lambda Legal. This conversation touches on the Thriving Families, Safer Children guiding principles of addressing issues of disproportionality, specifically for LGBTQ+ youth, and emphasizing upstream strategies for prevention, health promotion, and well-being. They focus on what it's like to be an LGBTQ+ youth in the foster care system, what is needed, and how professionals and family members can affirm and honor LGBTQ+ youth. Listeners will learn about the data that highlights the overrepresentation of LGBTQ+ foster youth and how the lack of inclusion and repeated rejection harms young people. They end with practical solutions to support and protect LGBTQ+ youth within their families, community, and in foster care. 

Community In-Site now has a dedicated website where you can listen to episodes, access information and resources, and subscribe to the email newsletter. Podcasts Archive

For more information about Lambda Legal and the Safe Havens project you can visit their website. Lambda Legal

Here are a few resources that Shawn and Currey wanted to share with you. 

2017 Safe Havens Report: Safe Havens | Lambda Legal Legacy

2024 Safe Havens II Report: Safe Havens Report 2.0 - Lambda Legal

2024 ACLU Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation Map: Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024

2024 Designated Placement Requirements (Title IV-E and IV-B) for LGBTQI+ Children: Designated Placement Requirements for LGBTQI+ Children 

To learn more about the Thriving Families, Safer Children Initiative you can visit the website. Thriving Families

Please email us if you want to connect with the creative team or find out how to engage with the family well-being movement. comminsite@gmail.com