Caring People Alliance
Carson Valley
Child Advocacy Unit
Congreso de Latinos Unidos
Covenant House
Delta Community Supports
Episcopal Community Services
Intercultural Family Services
Jewish Family and Children Services
Lutheran Children & Family Services
Lutheran Settlement House
Northeast Treatment Centers
Women Against Abuse
Women Organized Against Rape
Wordsworth Academy
Youth Service, Inc.
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Kennett Consolidated School District
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The School District of Philadelphia
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Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
St. Joseph’s University
Stevenson University
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University of Pennsylvania
The Bryson Institute of The Attic Youth Center helps organizations develop their culture into one of inclusion through innovative and engaging workshops, trainings and consulting arrangements focused on issues of difference, particularly around sexual orientation and gender identity.
Since 2001, the Institute has been working to educate youth and adults about issues of respect and diversity. The Institute supports individuals, communities and organizations in effecting systemic and personal changes to build inclusive environments that recognize and promote the value of diversity. In less than a decade, the Institute has trained over 25,000 individuals in schools, colleges, university systems, social service agencies, workplaces, faith-based organizations and communities to help create supportive and affirming environments.
The Institute was created in the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming. His death brought the homophobia and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in suburban and rural areas to the forefront of national attention. Born out of a coalition of organizations, with the determination and support of gay philanthropist and activist James H. Bryson, the Institute began its work three years later.
Because we realized that education must occur not just in the classroom, but in the boardroom, the Institute reaches out to youth and schools, as well as institutions and workplaces. By doing so, the Institute takes a comprehensive approach to combatting bigotry and bullying, and creating a culture of inclusion.
The Institute works with organizations to create workshops or trainings that are appropriate for their specific needs and challenges. From one hour trainings to multi-day sessions, the Institute creates an environment where dialogues can begin about how to create caring, compassionate and accepting communities, whether in schools, youth-serving agencies or the workplace. Using a variety of approaches — from didactic presentations to small group activities — Institute trainers from a variety of backgrounds and experiences work with individuals, communities and organizations to foster diversity, create safe spaces and encourage personal development.
Though our focus is on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, the Institute realizes that all oppression is interwoven and intertwined, and workshops typically also include discussions of other forms of oppression.
Institute staff work with clients to assess the organization’s current cultural strengths and weaknesses, as well as create specific goals. The Institute provides consulting services on creating a more inclusive environment, and may include recommendations for policy or programmatic changes, as well as trainings and workshops. Most of all, Institute staff work with clients to create sustainable programs that integrate diversity, respect and inclusion into the organization’s culture and systems.
