The Diversity Center of Santa Cruz

General Description of what students will be doing at this Site: The Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County, founded in 1989, is a community center that inspires and supports LGBTQIA2S+ people by providing critical services, events, activities, and spaces to enhance our community's well-being. We envision a healthy, vibrant, and diverse intergenerational LGBTQIA2S+ community, safe and secure in their persons, schools, work, and homes, fueled by a spirit of collaboration with each other and the greater community.

The Diversity Center's innovative approach creates a new holistic well-being center that parallels Dr. Peggy Swarbrick's Eight Dimensions of Wellness. Of the eight dimensions, the Center begins this new direction with a focus on the emotional, social, physical, and environmental dimensions.

The Center also is working towards more significant health equity and removing barriers to well-being by supporting the most vulnerable individuals, including LGBTQ+ youth, seniors, transgender people, and Latinx people. We are serving folx in Santa Cruz, Monterey and other neighboring counties.

We offer the opportunity for LGBTQIA2S+ identified students and allies to become an active participant in our affirming services, such as becoming a storyteller as part of our Triangle Speakers Program, supporting our youth program, that brings queer and questioning teens together to create safer schools, to support one another, to build future queer leaders and to have fun. Our Senior Program improves the quality of life of LGBTQ+ folks over 60 through social and recreation activities.

Key Responsibilities: Student involvement at The Diversity Center will be focused towards supporting our mission driven activities and events, including helping with youth and senior programming, conducting community outreach and tabling, creating art displays for special LGBTQIA2S+ awareness days, as well as performing administrative mental health program tasks.

Desired Intern Characteristics: A desired practicum candidate is someone who authentically is committed to joining us in our mission and delivering well-being services. Desired qualifications are:

● Preferred lived experience within the LGBTQ+ community, including a family member to a LGBTQ+ loved one.

● Educational or lived experience with gender diversity and understanding how cisgender heteronormativity and white supremacy dominant culture impacts one’s well-being.

● A personal and professional commitment to grow in self-awareness and unpacking implicit bias so that she/he/they/ze can hold such healing space with others.

● Open to learn how to offer impactful affirming services to the LGBTQ+ population we serve.

● Willingness to grow regarding application of affirming LGBTQ+ knowledge into service delivery, conversations and groups dynamics.

● Flexible, positive and collaboration attitude

● Own car and car insurance, plus professional liability insurance

Special Considerations: Spanish speaking and writing candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as there is much need for Spanish language services in our community, especially for parents and family members of LGBTQ+ youth.

Interprofessional opportunities available for the student: Selected candidate(s) are required to complete Mandated Reporting Training for Minor and Elder abuse.

We have ongoing event and program planning meetings during business hours, which candidate would join.

Concentration:
- Social Work
- Community Health
- Public Administration/ Non-profit Management

Format of Service: In-Person Service

Type of Service:
- Direct Client Service
- Indirect Service

The following CHHS Competencies that the student will be exposed to:
- Collaboration
- Cross Cultural Competency
- Knowledge of Health & Human Services (SW or CH)
- Personal & Professional Communication
- Professional Development