Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., has announced that its Trans Youth & Family Summit 2024 will take place March 16. This year marks the sixth annual event, which partners between Youth Services' Pride Youth Program and Center on Halsted.
The summit allows trans youth and their families to connect and build community with each other, all the while learning and connecting to new resources. Speakers and workshops about topics such as transition-related healthcare, legal transition and mental health are scheduled.
Lizzy Appleby, Pride/Share Director for Youth Services in Glenview, said this type of event is important because it helps connect folks to resources they might not know where to find.
"I was having a lot of conversations with parents in our Pride Youth Program who were really struggling to find information about medical transition and legal transition," she said. "[They] were really wanting to be supportive and do the right thing, but couldn't find the information."
This year, the half-day conference includes sessions on vocal coaching; workshops specifically targeted towards trans children in early elementary school; and a panel featuring trans adults. Appleby said something she loves to see at the conference each year is how many families and kids are excited to find community with people like them.
Parents and other family members are welcome to attend even if their child does not want to attend, and cisgender siblings are also welcome to participate in cis-sibling specific sessions. However, trans children are not allowed without their parents or caregivers.
Appleby said it's important they include a session for cisgender siblings because they will also be asked questions by other children, and they are also learning to support a trans family member. The organization has also expanded its sessions for people of color this cycle.
"We have always had a caregivers of color-specific affinity space, but this year we're able to do a youth of color affinity space, which I'm pumped about," Appleby said.
David Biele, director of youth and family services for Center on Halsted, said he's excited to be able to help the program grow into a new space.
"This is the first of what I hope is many more years of the summit at the Center, seeing it grow, seeing it change with the times," he added. "Right now it's a half day, [but] who knows? We might be able to make it a full day, maybe a full weekend. I think that the need is there [and] the interest is there, and I'm just really excited to see where we go from here."
The event takes place from 9 a.m.—2 p.m. on March 16. Registration is $10 and includes lunch, available snacks and event materials. Registration will close once the event reaches capacity or March 11.
See centeronhalsted.org/tyfsummit2024 .
