WHY ARE WE HERE?

The Alliance was developed in response to findings from our community needs assessment to address the absence of comprehensive and coordinated services for GLBTQ youth in Miami-Dade County. Our 2005 pilot study of Miami GLBTQ youth showed that:

  • 46% had experienced suicidal ideation 
  • 23% had attempted suicide
  • 57% struggled with substance abuse
  • 99% experienced verbal and/or physical harassment 

In our 2007 follow-up study: 

  • Over 34% had been kicked out of their homes between 1 to 7 times
  • 72% wanted help dealing with stress, particularly anger management
  • 49% believed they lost friends because of their sexual orientation or gender identity 
  • 66% needed an adult to talk with about GLBTQ issues
  • 53% of bullied youth had not told anyone

This data, coupled with minimal programming in Miami-Dade County was alarming and a real cause for holistic, comprehensive and culturally competent service.

OUR MISSION

The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth coordinates a full range of quality services through partnerships with many Miami-Dade County service organizations. We serve youth, their families and communities while advocating for equal rights and status of all youth regardless of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/ expression. 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Alliance works to shift the dangerous paradigms of discrimination, harassment and violence in our communities, while empowering GLBTQ youth. Our goals are to support young people in developing their self-agency; to impact systems youth navigate by providing inclusive information about their experience and their distinctive needs; and to cultivate youth leadership. 

 

The guiding principles for our organization are:

  1. All decisions we make must have as their ultimate goal the improvement of the lives of GLBTQ youth.
  2. We are focused on identifying potential resources for GLBTQ youth to create the most comprehensive system of services for GLBTQ youth.
  3. We are committed to nurturing and sustaining strong GLBTQ youth serving agencies and programs based on a foundation of strong and effective collaboration with continual evaluation and growth.
  4. We have a demonstrated commitment to providing leadership opportunities to empower GLBTQ youth as full participants in the governance of their own services.
Who we are

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PAMELA HALL, PhD - Board President
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PAMELA HALL, PhD - Board President

Dr. Pamela Hall is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Barry University, in Miami Shores, Florida. In addition to teaching, she is the faculty advisor for the Psychology Club. Prior to arriving at Barry University, Dr. Hall taught at Hampton University and worked as a development consultant for Southern Partner’s Fund, a non-profit foundation in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her PhD in Social Psychology with minors in Quantitative and Cognitive Psychology from The Ohio State University. Dr. Hall is actively involved in projects throughout South Florida involving the empowerment of children and families, particularly Haitian adolescents. She has developed service-learning partnerships with the Liberty City Revitalization Trust, Mt. Tabor Missionary Baptist Church, Sinai Plaza Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and the Haitian Youth Community Center of Florida. During the summers of 2012, 2013 and 2014 she received a grant totaling in the amount of $225,000 from The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County to implement an arts based literacy project for Haitian adolescents called Haitian Empowerment and Literacy Project (H.E.L.P.). The mission of H.E.L.P. was to improve literacy and social skills development of adolescents by using Haitian culture, education, history and different art mediums. This program was largely successful because of the service learning courses she taught whereby Barry University Psychology students provided afterschool tutoring and mentoring to these youth. She has presented research nationally and located in the areas of Service-Learning and Identity Development in Haitian Adolescents. She is a board member for The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth and the Haitian Youth Community Center of Florida. Dr. Hall travels each summer to engage in social justice volunteer activities at the State University of Haiti and Lakou Soleil Center in St. Raphael, Haiti.

LA'NYIA ODOMS, MD - Board Vice-President
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LA'NYIA ODOMS, MD - Board Vice-President
SEAN ROWLEY, Esq. - Board Secretary
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SEAN ROWLEY, Esq. - Board Secretary

Staff

SHARI ALLISON, Program Manager
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SHARI ALLISON, Program Manager

Shari Allison was born in Miami. She got her Bachelors in International Affairs/ International Economics from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. She then moved back to Miami and began working in the nonprofit sector. She joined the Alliance for GLBTQ Youth as a Data Program Manager in January 2011. Shari Allison enjoys using her data management skills to assist The Alliance in serving, nurturing and empowering GLBTQ youth in South Florida. Shari also co-facilitated The Alliance Girls Group in the summer of 2012.
PAULINE GREEN, JD - Executive Director
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PAULINE GREEN, JD - Executive Director
MARK HOUSTON, MSW, RCSWI - Clinical Manager
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MARK HOUSTON, MSW, RCSWI - Clinical Manager
AMBER MANKER, MSW, RCSWI - Clinician
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AMBER MANKER, MSW, RCSWI - Clinician
RUBEN ROSEN - Care Coordinator, North
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RUBEN ROSEN - Care Coordinator, North
NATHALIE PERDOMO - Care Coordinator, South
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NATHALIE PERDOMO - Care Coordinator, South
CHRISTOPHE BLAIZE - Data and Administrative Assistant
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CHRISTOPHE BLAIZE - Data and Administrative Assistant

LUIS NATAL, MSW, RCSWI - Clinician
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LUIS NATAL, MSW, RCSWI - Clinician

OUR PARTNERS

Jewish Community Services

Jewish Community Services serves people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation/ gender identity expression, or ethnic background with a variety of need-based services.

Pridelines

To support, educate and empower South Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and the community at large in safe and diverse environments through affirming programs and services to promote dialogue, wellness and foster social change.

Safe Schools South Florida

Safe Schools South Florida creates safer schools where all students can learn and thrive, regardless of real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, their own or that of their parents.

YES Institute

The YES Institute prevents suicide and ensures the healthy development of all youth through powerful communication and education on gender and orientation.

The Alliance is proudly supported by:

The Children's Trust Aqua Foundation for Women