Understanding Diversity
Ryan Conrad
It is a priority for Thrive to be as culturally informed as possible when communicating and working across difference. For us, understanding and honoring diversity can be an intrinsic expertise, but most often it is shared in partnership with cultural brokers. We proactively collaborate with numerous youth-guided organizations to forge the necessary cultural connections that make our work as informed and accessible as possible on behalf of the diversity of our youth constituents. Key collaborators include:
New Beginnings helps adolescents in crisis due to unstable or conflictive living situations to grow socially and emotionally, to build self-respect and to lead productive lives. Thrive and New Beginnings developed a training retreat for all New Beginnings staff that focused on trauma-informed services, positive youth development and staff self-care. Our ongoing partnership engages youth as change agents in our programs and the community.
Outright L/A creates safe and affirming environments for youth age 22 and under who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and/or questioning [LGBTQ]. Outright L/A and Thrive created a training on LGBTQ youth, mental health and safety at school. The partnership has trained over 100 teachers in the Auburn Public School District and more are scheduled in Androscoggin County.
Somali Bantu Youth Association promotes programs to help these youth gain the necessary skills and peer support to overcome challenges they face as new Mainers and elsewhere in the United States. The local partnership with Thrive has been instrumental in supporting cross-cultural wellness, positive youth development and strategic planning. 
