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IF YOU
ARE IN CRISIS CALL THIRDlevel NOW AT
1-800-442-7315
Member National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Windfire's Mission
Inspiring
the creation of safe space for LGBTQ youth.
Action Plan
-
Empower adult Allies in
schools to challenge tolerance of harassment based on sexual or gender
orientation, and to remove obstacles to LGBTQ students feeling safe in
their school environments.
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Develop a network of adult
Allies and Mentors in the community to increase visibility and
availability of the adult LBGTQ community to youth.
- Create a Windfire Youth Leadership Council which will provide support to LGBTQ youth through group meetings, activities and educational opportunities.
Join Youth in Our Community for Summer Activities!
Online Chat
Join us every Tuesday night at 6:00 pm for an online chat to learn about Windfire and meet other people interested in exploring issues related to sexual orientation and identity.
Windfire Makes a Difference!
Being 15 can be hard enough. What if you’re 15 and think you might be gay? Windfire members describe feeling afraid that they are the only gay person in their school, that no one could possible understand them, that no one will accept them. For over 10 years, Third Level, through Windfire, has offered peer support to young people who are exploring their sexuality. Some of these youth are in the process of coming out to family and friends, some have already come out and are working to establish friends and relationships, others are just checking out their feelings for the first time and figuring out what’s right for them. In some cases, Windfire is the first time they’ve met other LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgendered, questioning) youth. In many cases, it’s the first time they've talked with anyone openly about sexual feelings and other life issues. Windfire offers a place where young people let their guard down and be themselves.
Windfire Changed My Life!
"Through Windfire I was blessed with a group of people who I knew would understand what I was going through, and who helped me along the way. Jeff and Mer need to be sainted for the contribution that this group has made to the youth community."
Christian Eichenlaub
Class of 2000, TC Central
I Want To Know More!
For more information about Windfire, call (800) 442-7315 or (231) 922-4800. When you call, a THIRDlevel counselor will answer any questions you have and give you information about Windfire.
Contact THIRDlevel’s Windfire Outreach Coordinator
YOUTH LINKS
RECOMMENDED READING
The Traverse City Area District LibraryYA 306.766: Two Teenagers in Twenty: Writings by Gay & Lesbian Youth
306.766: When Someone You Know is Gay. By Susan & Daniel Cohen.
305.235: Boy Named Phyllis. By Frank DeCaro.
306.766: Bridges of Respect: Creating Support For Gay & Lesbian Youth. By Katherine Whitlock
306.874: Mom, Day, I’m Gay: How Families Negotiate Coming Out. By Ritch C. Savin-Williams
306.7662: Boys Like Us: Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories. Edited by Patrick Merla
305.235: Always My Child: A Parents Guide to Understanding Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Son or Daughter. By Kevin Jennings w/ Pat Shapiro
362.1086: Lesbian & Gay Youth: Care and Counseling. By Cailtlin Ryan & Donna Fetterman
YA 305.9066: Hearing Us Out: Voices From the Gay and Lesbian Community. By Roger Sutton
306.7662: Mama’s Boy, Preachers Son: A Memoir. By Kevin Jennings
306.874: Family Heart: A memoir of When our Son Came Out. By Robert Forman Dew
To learn more…visit the TADL Website at www.tadl.tcnet.org.
Windfire is funded through a grant from the Arcus Foundation and a program of THIRDlevel Crisis Intervention Center, Inc.