CLAREMONT — Two first year students at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College have received a Schweitzer Fellowship to positively influence wellness for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth of Sullivan County participating in Rural Outright, a program of TLC Family Resource Center, through a mentoring program.
Jacqueline Gresham and Sand Mastrangelo conceived and developed the mentoring project after becoming involved in Rural Outright and spending time with the students who participate in Rural Outright programs.
The project intends to work with 15 LGBTQ+ and questioning youth members of Rural Outright, a program that supports the LGBTQ+ youth and their families and allies in Sullivan County. They will be pairing the Rural Outright members with LGBTQ+ identified community mentors.
Students will participate in a variety of community building, identity-affirming experiences designed to enhance overall mental health and wellness, according to the Fellowship application.
“By collaborating with Rural Outright, we will expand support services available to queer youth to address the lack of LGBTQ+ mentoring programs currently available as they explore issues related to gender and sexuality,” said Gresham.
“The students in Rural Outright reflect the demographics throughout Sullivan County schools. Approximately 50 percent of the Rural Outright students receive free or reduced lunch,” said Mastrangelo. “Statistics for the Sullivan County show that about 39 percent of the students are receiving free or reduced lunch.”
The Schweitzer Fellowship mentoring project is anticipated to run for a year. Beginning in May, Gresham and Mastrangelo will be actively recruiting students from schools throughout Sullivan County and graduate student mentors from Dartmouth College. At the end of the first year, they will recruit new first-year students to take over the project in April 2019 and integrate it into the On-Doctoring curriculum.
The project is being overseen by mentor John Turco, MD, a professor at Geisel School of Medicine and doctor in the Endocrinology and Metabolism Dept. at Dartmouth- Hitchcock Medical Center, and Liza Draper, Program Coordinator for Rural Outright.
The mentor program will be a benefit to the Sullivan County community, helping to lift up these students who are often struggling and give them hope, according to Draper.
“I am excited to support Sand and Jaci in any way possible,” said Draper. “From my work with the students through the Gay Straight Trans Alliance groups in the middle and high schools, I see their challenges and need to connect with others LGBTQ+ people who are secure in their identity and successful.”
TLC Family Resource Center supports and strengthens all families, children, and youth of Sullivan and Lower Grafton counties with a wide range of free programs, support groups, education, and events. For more information, please visit www.tlcfamilyrc.org
The NH/ VT Chapter of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is part of a national organization serving some 25,000 people annually. Schweitzer Fellows create and carry out sustainable community service projects addressing chronic health issues as well as the underlying causes of health inequities such as poverty, the environment and education. For more information please visit www.schweitzerfellowship.org
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