HIGHLAND PARK – Southeast Michigan's own Ruth Ellis Center, which is one of the nation's three agencies dedicated to LGBTQ homeless youth, was selected among 24 Michigan sites that were interviewed to participate in the Youth Driven Spaces initiative. This pilot program is funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and is a three-day training and 15-month coaching project that supports the development of programming for teens that supports skill building and youth engagement in decision making.
An open meeting to discuss the training process is planned to take place at the Ruth Ellis Center's Highland Park location at 2:45 p.m. June 21.
According to REC Executive Director Laura Hughes, the training fits in with the center's plans for its youth.
"In the next couple of years, we want Ruth Ellis Centers' day-to-day operations to be completely run by youth. This is part of our overarching goal to make our organization a comfortable and safe place for our LGBTQ community," said Hughes. "The Youth Driven Spaces program is engaging with Ruth Ellis Center at an optimal time because it provides us with a significant step on the track toward our long-term vision."
Ruth Ellis Center was one of eight youth-serving programs across the state that was chosen for Youth Driven Spaces. The program is operated by the Neutral Zone, an Ann Arbor-based, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth through personal expression, community leadership and exchange of ideas.
As part of the project, Ruth Ellis Center staff and youth representatives will undergo a 15-month coaching on creating and running a youth advisory, leading the center's programs, creating new program initiatives, fundraising and advocacy and participating in organizational governance. The process includes site visits, consulting, coaching and on-site training. The youth hired to go through the training are all current participants or graduates of the Ruth Ellis Center. The trainers include representatives from the Neutral Zone and certified High Scope trainers, who the national leaders on youth development programs.
The expected outcomes of the Youth Driven Spaces initiative are for the Ruth Ellis Center trainees, staff and volunteers to better understand the principles of youth-driven space practices, learn program and organization strategies that support youth-driven practices and to make plans for organizational and program changes that they can apply to center.
"The unique aspect of this project is that some of the teens from the Neutral Zone will be actively involved in the training process with Ruth Ellis Center," said Leseliey Welch, a University of Michigan lecturer who is spearheading the Ruth Ellis Center training, which is Neutral Zone's first project. "This is truly an authentic, hands-on leadership and training experience for all teens who are involved and I am excited to see how it makes a difference in the future of the youth.'
For more information about the Ruth Ellis Center, visit http://www.ruthelliscenter.com.
