WEBINAR: Promoting Health and Well-Being in LGBTQ+ Students – this Wed Oct 25 – 3pm

Attention: State and District Leaders, School Administrators, Educators, Student Support Personnel, Parents, and Education Stakeholders

The U.S. Department of Education is hosting a webinar series to address topics that are on the top of educators’ minds. After sharing federal updates, the series features lessons learned and best practices from faculty, staff, schools, districts, institutions of higher education, and other places of educational instruction. It also shares a variety of useful resources.

In observance of National Coming Out Day and National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, and on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to join our next webinar Promoting Health and Well–Being in LGBTQ+ Students.

Date/Time:

• Wednesday, October 25, 2023 / 3:00pm – 4:30pm EST

According to the 2021 YRBS data, students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, or another non-heterosexual identity (LGBQ+) and those who have any same-sex partners were more likely than their peers to have used or misused substances (i.e., ever used select illicit drugs, ever or current prescription opioid misuse, and current alcohol, marijuana, and electronic vapor product use). Following National Coming Out Day, we are pleased to host this webinar discussing data related to substance use among LGBTQ+ students and highlighting innovative and inclusive strategies to prevent substance use among students identifying as LGBTQ+. During this webinar, federal experts will highlight data on the prevalence of LGBTQ+ youth substance use and share helpful, relevant resources to support prevention efforts with students identifying as LGBTQ+. Then, practitioners from three communities will engage in a panel discussion to share how they are working to shift school climate and ensure students who identify as LGBTQ+ have the supports they need to promote their well–being and reduce their risk for substance use. The panel will include speakers from Drug Free Community coalitions, school-based practitioners, and youth/young adult advocates and peer educators. After the panel discussion, speakers and panelists will respond to questions from the audience.