Professional Development

The Alliance educational workshops and training programs focus on sexual orientation and gender identity within a broader social justice and anti-oppression framework, providing high quality, accessible professional development for school personnel – including teachers, school counselors, staff, and administrators – as well as for social service providers, government officials, and community-based organizations. Alliance staff works closely with participants to create specially tailored sessions for each audience that are both engaging and educational.

To schedule a Professional Development workshop, please complete this Professional Development Request Form.

To see the Alliance Team in action at various conferences, please click here! 

Professional Development Workshops

Following are the workshops we currently offer:

• Creating Affirming Learning Environments is a 90-minute, introductory workshop geared toward classroom teachers and student support staff. It focuses on the experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ young people in a school setting. It includes opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and skill-building.

• Supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive Students is a 90-minute, introductory workshop geared toward youth supporting professionals. It focuses on building a foundational understanding of gender identity and expression and how to support transgender and gender-expansive young people.

• Deepening Our History: Implementing the Illinois Inclusive Curriculum Law is a professional development workshop for school teachers and administrators looking for creative ideas and support to implement Illinois’ Inclusive Curriculum Law, which took effect July 1, 2020.

• Legal Rights of Transgender Youth is a 60-minute overview of the changing legal landscape around transgender students’ rights. It is designed to inform schools of the responsibility for serving all students, including transgender and gender-expansive students, through examining relevant legal cases. It includes examples of districts that have implemented effective and affirming Administrative Procedures in Illinois.