LGBT youth are invited to participate in free digital-literacy classes this month that will pair them with LGBT professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, called STEM.
The classes run every Monday and Thursday from 3-5 p.m. until June 30. They take place at the Municipal Services Building, 1401 JFK Blvd. Introduction to Computer-Mediated Communications will teach attendees to use online tools to enhance their communication skills. Topics include writing for resumes, cover letters and online applications.
“STEM can really be anything,” said LaTierra Piphus, who is managing the LGBT outreach. “It could be positions in health care, pharmacy technology, fashion design or architecture.”
The LGBT outreach Piphus designed is called Linking into Impact. It’s a Philadelphia-specific program that’s part of US2020 PHL, the city’s chapter of a national effort to match 1-million STEM mentors with underserved youth by the year 2020. The national program launched at the 2013 White House Science Fair.
Piphus works for AmeriCorps VISTA, a community-service program run by the federal government. She was placed for a one-year term, ending in July, with US2020 PHL. It is housed in the Mayor’s Office of Education, though it is not a city program.
At the end of the digital-literacy classes, students will participate in a graduation, receive a letter of recommendation acknowledging the skills they learned and network with LGBT STEM professionals.
“Having something on paper is a huge boon over your peers,” Crystal Sparrow, program specialist at The Attic Youth Center, told the teens while they listened to Piphus explain the classes. “It’s a huge opportunity.”
Piphus spent last month recruiting LGBT youth at the Youth-Health Empowerment Project at Philadelphia FIGHT, The Attic and DVLF, among other places. She focused on recruiting outside schools.
“My particular program is meant to be very intentional with specific outreach and making sure education environments are safe,” she said. “A lot of components add to being pushed out of school. There’s a large group being ignored when we’re just focused on in-school outreach.”
Piphus added the US2020 program does not specify how to recruit participants. She championed LGBT outreach in Philadelphia. Piphus has been a longtime LGBT advocate and received encouragement and guidance from Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs.
Piphus added she started her project under former Mayor Michael Nutter. She fine-tuned its goals in the New Year to align with Mayor Jim Kenney’s focus on universal pre-K and career technical education.
For more information, visit www.stemcityphl.org/us2020-phl.