New time for chats! Wednesdays, starting January 14th 4-5pm!!
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.
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
Notice: Chat is cancelled on 6/16/2010, see you the following week
Join us every Wednesday night
An hour long online chat to learn about Windfire and meet other people interested in exploring issues related to sexual orientation and identity. Tuesday Evening 4-5 PM. Starting January 14, Wednesdays from 4PM to 5PM.
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 Third Level counselor will answer any questions you have and give you information about Windfire.
Contact Third Level’s Windfire Outreach Coordinator
YOUTH LINKS
RECOMMENDED READING
The Traverse City Area District Library
- YA 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.
Windfire is funded through a grant from the Arcus Foundation and a program of Third Level Crisis Intervention Center, Inc.
