GSCA Webinar - Supporting LGBTQ+ Students

From Pronoun Usage to Local Advocacy and Everything In-Between: How to Support LGBTQ+ Students in the K-12 Setting
presented by Ricardo Lyons-Alvarez

This presentation focuses on the challenges facing school counselors regarding support for LGBTQ+ students and what support can look like despite these challenges.  The goal is to provide school counselors practical strategies and resources to create inclusive spaces and a supportive environment for LGBTQ+ students in K-12 settings
 
Speakers:

Nicholas Wozniak has been in education since 1999 in various roles: professor of photography and art appreciation, art educator, and school counselor. He currently holds his BFA in photography from SCAD, his MAAE in art education from MICA, and his MEd in school counseling from GSU. Nicholas has presented at several National Art Education Association conferences on the importance of the creative arts in K-12 education. In addition, he has helped initiate several gay straight alliances at high schools in Florida and Georgia.
 

Ricardo Lyons-Alvarez (They/He) is an elementary school counselor at Jacob G. Smith in Savannah, GA. They have been a counselor in Savannah for 6 years. Previously, they worked with clients at Best Buy and held multiple roles within the Geek Squad before making a career change. Currently, Alvarez is a co-chair for the LGBTQ+ Affinity group in GSCA this year and previously worked on the Advocacy Committee in 2022.  Alvarez likes to spend their free time playing board games and video games with his wife and 2 children, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and watching his favorite soccer team, Manchester United, struggle season after season. His favorite hobby, aside from video games, is playing tabletop games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, and many more.  They plan on getting certification in using tabletop and video games in a therapeutic setting.