For those of you in New York State, this is a fantastic opportunity to network and learn like never before. I'm especially excited about the day long Trans institute. To download the overview, click here.In Our Own Voices, Inc. and The New York State Black Gay Network, Inc. will be hosting the first statewide LGBT People of Color Health Summit on February 21-24, 2008. The Health Summit?s theme is: Unity through Diversity: Shifting Our Focus This inaugural event is designed to provide a forum for the articulation of issues and recommendations related to health and human service interventions for LGBT people of color. Scholars, administrators, activists and students are invited to share their knowledge and skills with the hope that this interchange will result in a compendium of future strategies designed to address the needs of LGBT people of color. A distinguishing feature of the health summit is the inclusion of planning strategy workshops to enable presenters and participants to frame the presentations and conversations into a health and human service strategy for subsequent policy and programmatic undertakings. The summit will focus on five major conceptual tracks:
? Health and Wellness ? Substance Abuse ? Spirituality ? Political Advocacy ? A day long institute on Transgender issues
One major outcome of this undertaking will be the publication of a summit report highlighting the major observations and current strategies related to the above topics with attached recommendations for future research, political advocacy, and community based interventions. Specific objectives and outcomes are listed below.Objectives
The LGBT People of Color Health Summit will serve the following objectives:
? Review and update the community on current research findings, community based interventions, and state and local level strategies addressing the needs of the LGBT people of color community;
? Identify the prominent issues impacting the LGBT people of color community which remain ?invisible? to the mainstream health and human service system;
? To identify the gaps in effective and efficient health and human services for LGBT people of color within New York State;
? To prioritize future health and human services strategies that will address the perceived needs of LGBT people of color community.Outcomes
The effectiveness of the first statewide LGBT People of Color Summit will be measured based on the following outcomes:
? A defined set of issues and areas requiring further exploration will be listed;
? A preliminary series of next-steps related to planning, advocacy and program interventions will be highlighted;
? Summit participants will identify their respective roles in furthering the summit recommendations over the next twelve months; and,
? There will be increased knowledge and awareness of the issues and potential strategies addressing the needs of LGBT people of color as measured by a survey of Summit participants. n effective and efficient health and human services for LGBT people of color within New York State;? To prioritize future health and human services strategies that will address the perceived needs of LGBT people of color community.Outcomes
The effectiveness of the first statewide LGBT People of Color Summit will be measured based on the following outcomes:
? A defined set of issues and areas requiring further exploration will be listed;
? A preliminary series of next-steps related to planning, advocacy and program interventions will be highlighted;
? Summit participants will identify their respective roles in furthering the summit recommendations over the next twelve months; and,
? There will be increased knowledge and awareness of the issues and potential strategies addressing the needs of LGBT people of color as measured by a survey of Summit participants.
