BLOG Sustaining Our Efforts in San Francisco: February 2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thank You From NPD

NPD Facilitators extend a warm "thank you" to our partners. Continue to strengthen your practice!

Day Three ~ Morning Session

Kevin Gogin and Ilsa Bertolini present "Keeping Our LGBTQ Youth Safe and In School."

Strengthening my practice:
Professionally: I am privileged to work with a gifted – and fun – group of professionals with whom I can both consult and collaborate. In addition, I spend time trying to keep current with research and others doing similar work.

Personally: I relish and enjoy my family and friends, and look forward to spending time with them, doing everything from going to movies, ballet, theater, and eating really good food.

Person/experience who has inspired me:
No one person has inspired me, but I am glad to walk in the footsteps of so many pioneers who have preceded me. These are the people who fought for the rights of those with HIV, who were gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender, and who did it with a smile. Also my first trip to Italy in early 1984 changed my life.

Kevin Gogin

Kevin Gogin, MFT
School Health Programs
Student Support Services Department
San Francisco Unified School District

Kevin Gogin, has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1989. He was hired in 2000 to develop the first comprehensive program addressing LGBT issues within a school setting: Support Services for LGBT Youth. Since its inception, he has worked on safe school planning, classroom intervention, and curriculum development and implementation. Most recently, he has collaborated with a team to create the first-ever school district sponsored website that addresses LGBT issues that includes curriculum, data, and school based activities.

Kevin is the Department Liaison with city agencies coordinating the High School Wellness Programs, which provide mental health and nursing services, and referrals at 15 high schools.

He also acts as the point person for Crisis Response for the District. In addition, he provides training on a variety of counseling and intervention strategies including classroom response for crises, drug and alcohol intervention, adolescent reproductive health, and lgbt risk factors and school interventions.

Kevin has spoken at a number of conferences regarding LGBT youth issues including the American Association of Suicidology, American School Health Association, and California Association of School Social Workers.

Ilsa Bertolini

Ilsa Bertolini, MA School Health Programs
Student Support Services Department
San Francisco Unified School District
Ilsa Bertolini works in the program Support Services for LGBTQ Youth in San Francisco Unified School District. She develops and reviews curriculum in alignment with the state framework related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning youth. Ilsa conducts professional development trainings to school site staff and administrators on meeting the needs of LGBTQ youth and families and responds to school safety concerns regarding LGBTQ youth and families. This includes working with administration to develop comprehensive plans to address homophobia and transphobia in schools.

Two exciting recent events include a middle school “Gay-Straight Alliance Day” where students convened to learn advocacy and presentation skills to bring back to their schools to address homophobia, as well as our inaugural Families Dinner, where over 200 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender parents, district staff and students gathered to meet each other, share a meal, and learn about district resources.

Ilsa is currently the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Health Initiatives for Youth (HIFY), a Bay Area non-profit which improves the health and well-being of underserved young people. Ilsa has a Master's Degree in Human Sexuality Studies.

Ilsa Bertolini

Something you do to strengthen your practice:
Watch other professional development to steal their great ideas.

A person/experience that has inspired me:

Participating in StoryCorps with my grandparents, which inspired me to expand my listening skills and learn to record family stories.

Interesting/fun fact about yourself:

Collegiate soccer career as a Goalkeeper left me with knees of an octogenarian.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Educational Theatre

Cable car shuttles gave partners a glimpse of San Francisco's sites while en route to the New Conservatory Theatre where actors offered NPD partners sample perfomances from their educational theatre program.

Michigan ~ Showcase Conversations

Laurie Bechhofer helps facilitate conversation with the audience.

New Jersey ~ Showcase Conversation

Sarah Kleinman engages the audience in conversation.

Massachusetts ~ Showcase Conversation

Joy Robinson-Lynch and Karen Edlund dialogue with audience members.

Wyoming ~ Showcase Conversation

Rob Johnston and Meaghan McClellan share Wyoming's strategy for success.

How do you strengthen your practice?

"I seek any opportunity for collaboration and integration with agencies and programs."

--Patricia Jackson

New Hampshire

How do you strengthen your practice?

"I try not to be too fragmented and focus on doing a few activities and do them better."

--Laurie Bechhofer

Michigan

How do you strengthen your practice?

"I collaborate with many partners and seek assistance from the experts."

--Julane Hill

Nebraska

How do you strengthen your practice?

"I communicate with management, collaborate with school principals and work with my fellow colleagues."

--Paul Nededog

Guam

How do you strengthen your practice?

"I try to be realistic about the political environment and make connections with folks that can better carry out the mission."

--Jackie Sharpe

Ohio

How do you strengthen your practice?

"Talk to young teens about sexuality."

--Joy Robinson-Lynch

Massachusetts

How do you strengthen your practice?

"Make sure I put the trainings I receive toward actual program implementation."

--Sombo Pujeh

Washington D.C.

Morning Plenary Session

Rebecca Woodland presents the morning plenary session called "Building, Developing, and Evaluating Collaboration."

How do you strengthen your practice?

"I remember to take breaks, big and small, to rejuvenate myself. I remember to keep youth at the forefront, my decisions should effect them positively. I keep abreast of new research."

--Shala E. Smith
California

How do you strengthen your practice?

"On a monthly basis, meet with at least one sexual health educator to discuss sexual health successes and challenges in their agency."

--Fred Vesapolli
New Jersey

Morning Physical Activity Break

How do you strengthen your practice?

"I learn from others, apply those lessons and teach what I've learned."

--Terrill White
Cherokee Nation

Rebecca Woodland

Something you do to strengthen your practice:
I work with others to take risks and try new approaches. I also read a bunch, most recently Michael Quinn Patton's new book Developmental Evaluation.

Someone/experience that has inspired you:
The talented and dedicated practitioners and professionals who are working together to tackle some of society's most complex and pressing issues. Their commitment and passion inspire me. On a personal note, having the privilege of being a mom keeps me in the present and joyful. One of my favorite quotes... "To be playful and serious at the same time is possible, in fact, it defines the ideal mental condition." - John Dewey

Interesting fact about you:
I was the play-by-play analyst for the UMass men's basketball team from 1989-1991. Go Minutemen!

Rebecca Woodland

Rebecca Woodland, PhD
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Dr. Woodland is and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her scholarship is focused on the examination of organizational collaboration and evaluating and improving the quality of school-agency partnerships. She is former Assistant Professor and Director of Secondary Teacher Education at the University of Vermont (2001-2006) who has authored numerous publications related to the evaluation and improvement of educational programs. In 2005 Dr. Woodland received the Marcia Guttentag Award, presented by the American Evaluation Association for her outstanding contribution to the field of evaluation whose work brings to life the guiding principles of the profession.

Dr. Woodland has been the lead evaluator for many initiatives, including two large-scale Safe School/Healthy Student strategic alliances funded by the Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services, and a 21 Century Community Learning Centers demonstration grant. The Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services have recommended Dr. Woodland’s Strategic Alliance Formative Assessment process as the preferred model to use in the evaluation of community-wide collaborations.