Safe Zone Training

 Limited Capacity 

Join The Nonprofit Partnership on Tuesday, July 30th to learn about the LGBTQ+ community and become Safe Zone trained. 

Safe Zone Trainings are opportunities to learn about LGBTQ+ identities, gender and sexuality, and examine prejudice, assumptions, and privilege. This voluntary training will consist of a three-hour session. Following each training, participants will receive a take-home resource guide and the updated Safe Zone training sticker, a representation of completing the training and communicating to others that they are open to talking about and being supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. This session is appropriate for any nonprofit professional looking to elevate their knowledge through opportunities to learn about LGBTQ+ community.

Learning Objectives: 

• Participants will reflect on how their understanding of LGBTQ people and identity has changed over their lifetime. 
• Participants will be able to clarify questions that they have about foundational LGBTQ vocabulary.  
• Participants will have a clearer understanding of the importance of language in relation to creating affirming environments LGBTQ individuals. 
• To provide an opportunity for participants to empathetically connect and reflect on the experience of having (or not having) privilege. 
• Provide an opportunity for all participants to ask the questions they are most curious about and have them answered. 
• An opportunity to generate scenarios for the activities later in the training. 

This session is open to members of The Nonprofit Partnership and has limited capacity. Light lunch will be provided.

More About the Speakers

Dr. Alyson Eagle is the Assistant Director of Employer Relations at Gannon University. During work hours, she aspires to work directly with Gannon students to connect them to their dream job and/or internship. Outside of work, Aly is committed to social injustice work by passionately advocating for equality rights, specifically surrounding women’s rights and LGBTQ+ activism. She co-leads a Dream Weavers – Erie women’s group focused on building community and supporting one another to achieve their goals and aspirations.

Aly received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. She is a proud Gannon alumnus, who graduated from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s program in December 2015 and Organizational Learning and Leadership doctorate program in May 2023.

Tori has a Masters in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas. She is the Assistant Director of Campus Engagement at Gannon University, and oversees diverse campus events, advises the Activities Programming Board, and supports over 100 student clubs. Tori's role involves planning and assessing enriching activities and fostering small group engagement opportunities.  Beyond work, she enjoy quality time with her partner and cat, exploring the outdoors, and participating in a Queer book club. Tori's passion for building community and inspiring joy guides her efforts to make Gannon and Erie a vibrant and supportive place.

Dr. Megan Woller is Co-director of the School of Communication and the Arts and Associate Professor at Gannon University. Although primarily a musicologist, Megan teaches gender studies classes and was an inaugural member of Gannon’s Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee, serving as leader for the Diverse Sexualities and Genders work group. Megan has a strong passion for social justice and education and believes in the power of music to bring people together. She also loves musical theater and reading fiction. Megan holds a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from Saint Mary’s College.