There are so many opportunities for you on campus. Here is an opportunity for training to serve as a peer educator through the LGBTQA Center’s Straight Talks. Follow the links if you want more information!
My name is Sarah McDonald and I am the graduate assistant at the LGBTQA Student Resource Center. I manage the Center’s Peer Education Program and we are hoping to expand our cohort of peer educators this semester! If you are interested in peer education at Penn State, we would like you to consider participating in both Straight Talks training on Sunday, February 11 from 2:30-5:30 PM and our Ally Workshop training on Sunday, February 25 from 2:30-5:30 PM (more information on specific locations to come). We are interested in LGBTQA+ peer educators as well as their allies/supporters!
This semester we are continuing to build a new cohort of peer educators to assist the LGBTQA SRC and the LGBTQ+ community with providing outreach and education around diverse sexual and gender identities. We hope that our program will allow our peer educators to become more involved in the campus community through Straight Talks presentations and Ally Workshops. Ally Workshops are student-to-student delivered presentations that provide education and outreach around diverse genders and sexualities as well as information about resources at Penn State.
Straight Talks are panels of students who can be requested to speak in classes, residence halls, Greek organizations, and other spaces around campus. These students discuss basic information about terminology and identities, and then each student on the panel shares their personal experiences with their identities. Panelists often discuss a coming out story or a story about being an ally, challenges/obstacles they have experienced, their perceptions of campus climate, or how they choose to express their identities. The story can vary significantly based on an individual’s experience. While these stories are not representative of the entire community, we aim to expand students’ understanding of diverse sexual and gender identities. We hope by sharing our stories we can begin to tear down confining walls and foster a more inclusive, welcoming campus environment.
To learn more about Straight Talks, please peruse our website here:
https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/lgbtqa/straighttalks.shtml
If you would like to participate in Straight Talks and Ally Workshop training, please do the following:
- email straight-talks@psu.edu by Thursday, February 1 indicating your interest and if you can attend training;
- complete the Straight Talks application by midnight on Thursday, February 1: https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0IK2sF7PSW3ZzsV
Upon completion of the Straight Talks application, we will contact you within 3 business days to schedule a brief, informal meeting, which will last approximately 20 minutes. In the meeting, we will discuss peer education, your experiences, what you hope to gain from your participation in the Peer Education Program as well as any questions and concerns you may have.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at straight-talks@psu.edu or stop by the LGBTQA SRC in 101 Boucke.
Thanks for your interest in peer education at Penn State and best wishes for a wonderful spring semester!
Sarah
Sarah McDonald, MFA
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
Graduate Assistant
LGBTQA Student Resource Center
101 Boucke Building
(814) 863-1248