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0:00: I'm like a duck on top of the water.

0:03: I'm very calm under the water.

0:04: I am furiously moving.

0:07: Hi and welcome to Positively a podcast by positive images.

0:11: Today, we're sitting down with our educations and trainings manager Drew Crawford.

0:16: Enjoy positive images.

0:29: My name is Drew Rose.

0:31: My pronouns are he, they and I'm the education and training manager at positive images.

0:37: What are your top three passions?

0:40: My top three passions are swimming is my newest passion.

0:46: I've really been enjoying being in the water and feeling embodied and it's been really like soothing for me.

0:55: I think it's because I'm a fire sign and another passion of mine is connecting people to resources.

1:03: I love sharing information and helping people feel like they know where to go for.

1:08: Support.

1:09: Another passion of mine is my family Bobby and Tucker.

1:17: Bobby is my partner of 16 years and Tucker is our rescue pup who's 11.

1:23: Now, if you were a dog, what breed would you be?

1:27: If I were a dog?

1:29: I would be hypoallergenic so that more people could pet me.

1:34: And I think I would be a poodle mix just because that's what I've had and the dogs that have found their way to me and I just love them.

1:45: How would your friends describe you?

1:49: I would say my friends would describe me as calm, even though I'm like a duck on top of the water, I'm very calm under the water.

1:58: I'm furiously moving.

2:01: I would say, hopefully they see me as somebody with a lot of empathy and compassion.

2:10: And I would say they would probably say that I am adventurous and that I like to do things that are like thrilling.

2:25: For instance, we went to the Yuba like a month ago and I ended up just swimming down the current over and over again without a floaty.

2:33: It was just such a thrill.

2:36: Positive images does not endorse participating in water sports without a floaty or an adequate flotation device.

2:43: How did you first hear of positive images?

2:46: Actually, I first heard of positive images when I moved here about 12 years ago.

2:53: After a few weeks, I started looking for a place where I could go to feel safe as an LGBT Q person.

3:02: And I ended up at a Thursday night group and there were probably like 60 people there.

3:09: And it was really amazing to see people of all ages actually, at that point and it was run by youth leadership and it just was really cool to see people holding space and, and supporting each other.

3:26: You come to us with a background in teaching.

3:28: Can you tell us a little bit about that?

3:30: Sure.

3:31: As a teacher I taught for three years, I taught 5th and 6th grade and I noticed that there are so many di there are so many districts in our county, there are 41 districts and so every district is different, every school is different.

3:50: And I noticed there were students being left behind with big classrooms, not enough, one on one time with students, not enough resources for new teachers.

4:03: And I noticed a lot of students just feeling left out and excluded and unsafe.

4:09: And so that really propelled me to sort of focus on LGBT Q students and youth to try to support them.

4:20: How did you make the jump from teaching to supporting teachers in your current role at P I?

4:24: So as a teacher, I was feeling disillusioned with the profession because of a lack of resources and because it felt really impersonal with my students.

4:39: And I wasn't allowed to be out as a new teacher.

4:43: It was sort of expected that you were closeted until you got your tenure.

4:48: And so that kind of led me to leave teaching and I just happened to find a position at P I really, shortly after that and it felt like it really aligned with what I do.

5:05: And now it, we've created this position so that I can go into schools and support teachers, students, parents in helping schools be more inclusive for LGBT Q I A plus students.

5:21: And what's the most rewarding part of working for P I I would say the most rewarding part of working at positive images is to see youth come back to us after they have left their school.

5:34: Maybe they have a job, maybe they are going to college to see them having community already through us and to be able to come back and share their victories, share their successes.

5:51: That is hugely rewarding because I know that those youth came here when they really needed support.

6:00: And we can see that it is really helping our youth be feel more connected, feel more supported and be able to live their authentic truth and to shine their light for other people as well.

6:17: So what are you up to when you're in the office?

6:21: When I'm at work?

6:22: I am doing a lot of scheduling trainings which has been really great to have people call us and really want us to come in and help support them.

6:34: I am also helping people change their legal name, their gender.

6:40: I'm able to do help people with that paperwork and I am also designing our trainings to make them more interactive, make them more culturally relevant and collaborating with a lot of our amazing staff.

6:59: Now that we have quadrupled our staff in the past year, it's been really exciting, really, life giving and it's been amazing to learn from all these amazing people.

7:10: I get to work with.

7:12: What do you wish people knew about positive images?

7:15: I really wish that people knew what it feels like to be in a supportive space at positive images because it has a life altering effect.

7:31: If folks come in here and are able to connect to other people, it's really we work really hard to create a safe space where people can authentically be themselves and sometimes that can be really hard to find outside of here.

7:49: So it is a really special place and I want people to come in and sort of find that connection for themselves.

7:58: Thank you so much for sitting down with us, Drew and to all of our listeners.

8:02: I hope you enjoyed this episode.

8:04: As always, if you're interested in seeing this interview in video format, you can head on over to our Instagram at positive images.

8:11: We'll see you next time.

8:13: Hello.

8:16: It, the future of positive images is looking bright and we hope that you'll join us along our journey.

8:22: You can check out our website pas images dot org, that's P OS images dot org and see our community calendar for fun things coming up in community and opportunities to join our peer support groups.

8:34: You can also drop into the center from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.

8:39: We would love to see you there.

8:41: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at positive images to stay up to date with the absolute latest.

8:47: Until next time I have been chase overhaul director of development for positive images.

8:52: And this has been positively positive images.

9:06: What you're still here, that must mean that you really love us.

9:10: If you are willing and able, you can always support positive images by making a donation.

9:16: Did you know that by making a donation of only $5 a month, you help us out immensely.

9:22: We're using this money to continue to support the LGBT Q I A two S plus community right here in Sonoma County.

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0:00: We feel so deeply connected to the work that we do and that work is what keeps us going.

0:07: You don't owe us anything to be here.

0:09: Hi, welcome to Positively a podcast by positive images.

0:13: I'm Marian and I'm here with Chase Overholt, our director of development Positive images.

0:29: My name is Chase Overholt.

0:31: My pronouns are he and they and I'm the director of development for positive images.

0:36: So Chase, what are your top three passions?

0:39: Oh OK.

0:40: This is tough.

0:41: My top three passions would probably be number one.

0:45: I want to say like community care, showing up volunteering.

0:49: I when folks ask me to help with something like I can't, I can't help but say yes, it's hard for me to say no.

0:56: My second passion would probably have to be cooking.

1:00: I love to be in the kitchen, creating new recipes.

1:03: I'm working on another cookbook maybe.

1:06: And then my third passion would have to be Sudoku.

1:09: So you're also a huge Dolly Parton fan.

1:12: What's your favorite Dolly song?

1:13: Oh OK.

1:15: What is my favorite Dolly Parton song?

1:16: This is really a difficult question because so many Dolly Parton songs mean so much to me for different reasons.

1:21: , of late, my favorite Dolly Parton song has been, I'm gone.

1:26: , it's, there's something about it that, like, I just start crying every single time.

1:31: I don't know what it is.

1:32: I, I love, I'm gone by Dolly Parton.

1:36: And how would your friends describe you?

1:39: Oh, I think my friends would describe me as doing too much doing the most.

1:45: , you know, I'm the friend that when they say let's have like a chill dinner party at your house and game night, I need to spend all day in the kitchen making an eight course meal and like writing a murder mystery game from scratch, you know, can't confirm, have experienced this.

2:05: So how did you first hear about P I?

2:08: Oh OK.

2:08: How I first heard of positive images was actually through at the time, Marion, who was my college friend.

2:15: I was working for another nonprofit and I wanted to stop by the center and bring Mary and some boba.

2:22: And what I thought was going to be like a 15 minute little come and see the space and say hi to my friend turned into like a two hour debrief session with our current director of programs, Jess Carol.

2:34: So not only did I get to start working with my friend but also like some really amazing friends working at positive images.

2:41: Now tell us a little bit about your career before P I oh, OK.

2:46: So right out of college, I got my degree in pure mathematics and I was like, what am I gonna do with this?

2:51: So I became a wealth advisor, which was not the t I, I liked it.

2:56: I was good at it.

2:57: I love the like math puzzle kind of thing, but it wasn't for me in the long run.

3:02: So I jumped ship from wealth management and joined the nonprofit sector.

3:07: I worked for Latisha Hinky at the Lime Foundation after hearing her story and just falling in love with her.

3:13: And then when I saw this role open up, I thought to myself, like this is my chance to do this work that I love fundraising and systems building for an organization that is serving my own community.

3:28: And I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

3:30: So I applied and went through the process and now I'm here and tell us about your involvement with C C F.

3:37: Oh OK.

3:38: What is C C F C C F is the community centric fundraising round table of Sonoma County.

3:44: It is an offshoot of the C C F principles created by incredible fundraisers like Lula and their peers.

3:52: And it was originally brought to Sonoma County by the United Way of Wine Country and Michelle Shereen MRI.

4:00: And it is about switching from a donor centric model of fundraising that centers the donor and instead replaces it with centering the work in the community, we're community centric, right?

4:14: Everything that we do in fundraising needs to start from the people that these organizations serve and not from the people that are funding it.

4:21: So this group is an effort to change the culture of fundraising in Sonoma County and create a space that is more equitable, not only from the ground up but also from these like higher level systems of funding down.

4:34: What is the most rewarding part working for?

4:37: I think that the most rewarding part of working for positive images is the fact that everybody on this staff holds themselves to a level of accountability around equity and anti racism that inspires me to do more and be more and push harder to uncover and live in discomfort and figure out what my next step on my journey to equity and anti racism is and how to show for community in a real way.

5:06: So it's really rewarding to be in a space where that is so valued and is so intrinsically a part of everything that we do.

5:16: So tell us, what are you up to in the office?

5:20: Oh my gosh.

5:21: When I'm at work, I'm up to so many things.

5:22: I'm writing those newsletters you get in your inbox.

5:25: I am updating our website.

5:26: I am working with donors to steward relationships to help support our programs through funding.

5:33: I am supporting the executive director, I am supporting the programs team where I, when I can I am helping the trainings team expand.

5:42: I am doing the most.

5:47: What do you wish people knew about P I?

5:51: One thing that I wish people knew about positive images is that it's all free that we don't want your money unless you're a donor.

5:59: Then, then we, we do want your money.

6:02: but it's all free to community.

6:04: You know, we're here to provide services for our community.

6:08: Every single member of our staff on board are members of the LGBT Q I two S plus community and we feel so deeply connected to the work that we do and that work is what keeps us going.

6:22: You don't owe us anything to be here.

6:24: Come sit in the center, watch TV, have a snack, try on some clothes in the transformation station, grab a book.

6:30: You know, this is your space as much as it is ours.

6:33: I every time somebody's in the space and they're asking, oh, can I do this?

6:37: Can I do that?

6:37: I love to tell them like this space is as much yours as it is mine as it is our executive directors as it is our boards.

6:45: This is your space and it's for free.

6:48: Thank you so much, Chase.

6:50: It's been a pleasure chatting with you and thank you all for listening.

6:54: This interview is available in video format on Instagram at positive images where you can find Chase's interview and all of our other staff members.

7:03: My name is Marian.

7:04: I'm one of the program's coordinators here at P I and I'll catch you next time on positively.

7:09: The future of positive images is looking bright and we hope that you will join us along our journey.

7:15: You can check out our website, pause images dot org.

7:18: That's P OS images dot org and see our community calendar for fun things coming up in community and opportunities to join our peer support groups.

7:27: You can also drop into the center from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Fridays.

7:31: We'd love to see you there.

7:33: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at positive images to stay up to date with the absolute latest.

7:39: Until next time, I've been Marian programs coordinator for positive images, positive images.

7:58: What you're still here, that means OK.

8:02: But what you're still here, that must mean that you really love us.

8:08: If you're willing and able, you can always support positive images by making a donation.

8:13: Did you know that by making a donation of only $5 a month, you help us out immensely.

8:18: We're using this money to continue to support the LGBT Q I A two S plus community right here in Sonoma County.

8:26: Click the link in our episode description to learn more about donations.

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0:00: When I had to leave for college.

0:01: And I was so sad to leave for college.

0:03: I really didn't want to go.

0:05: And I was really worried that I would sort of lose my connection with P I.

0:10: And I'm really, really grateful to say that that didn't happen.

0:13: And I'm really honored to be back.

0:15: Hi and welcome to Positively, a podcast by Positive Images.

0:20: Today, we're sitting down with Joy Anderson, one of our program's coordinators here at Positive images.

0:35: Positive Images.

0:38: My name is Joy Anderson.

0:40: My pronouns are they them?

0:41: And my title is Trans life Programs coordinator.

0:44: What are your top three passions?

0:48: Oh If I had to pick my top three passions, I would say social justice frogs and honestly, probably the TV, show is supernatural for better or worse if you were to compete on a reality TV show, which one?

1:07: I don't really watch a lot of reality TV.

1:09: So it's hard for me to say.

1:10: But I think I would enjoy being on a like dating show because I think I have really good communication skills.

1:19: So I think I would be doing a good job of like expressing how I'm feeling, understanding how other people are feeling.

1:27: And being like the level headed one, how would your friends describe you?

1:33: I think my friends would describe me as warm as a little bit silly.

1:42: And a good listener and organized and kind of like the like parent friend of the group.

1:54: Tell us about the first time you heard of positive images.

1:57: I first heard of positive images back in, I want to say it was probably 2016.

2:05: I was a senior in high school and the director of P I at the time came to our high school for what was then called Day of Tolerance.

2:17: Now, it's called Day of Acceptance.

2:19: And I was asked to speak on this panel talking about being a part of the queer community.

2:25: And it was facilitated by the director at the time.

2:28: And so that's how I first kind of got introduced to P I.

2:32: And then I I think I honestly was recommended to come here by a therapist, which is how a lot of people find us.

2:40: And I started coming to groups.

2:42: So how did you move from a community member to an employee?

2:46: That's a really good question.

2:48: I think my process of moving from like a community member and participant to being an employee certainly didn't happen overnight.

2:58: Like I was involved with P I for a long time.

3:00: So I started coming to P I as a member, coming to support groups in 2017.

3:07: And I immediately got really involved.

3:10: I started volunteering with the youth leadership team and helped with running the groups and occasionally planning events and stuff like that.

3:18: And I did that for a couple of years until a position opened up in 2019.

3:23: At that time, it was the outreach coordinator position and I was encouraged to apply for it and I was really grateful to get that position.

3:32: And I worked at P I from 2019 until 2021 when I had to leave for college.

3:38: And I was so sad to leave for college.

3:40: I really didn't want to go.

3:43: And I was really worried that I would sort of lose my connection with P I.

3:48: And I'm really, really grateful to say that that didn't happen.

3:51: And I'm really honored to be back.

3:53: What did you study while you were at U C Santa Cruz?

3:57: When I was away from P I at U C Santa Cruz, I majored in community studies, which sounds pretty broad and I guess it kind of is.

4:04: but it's about learning about community organizing, social justice, learning about the nonprofit sector and the good things and the bad things that come with nonprofits and then getting actual experience working at a nonprofit, which I actually already had some experience doing that.

4:21: having been with P I but I got some more experience working at an organization in San Francisco.

4:28: And yeah, it was a really great program.

4:31: It was my top choice.

4:32: So I was very lucky to get to be there.

4:35: What's the most rewarding part of working for P I?

4:39: There are a lot of things that are really rewarding about working for positive images.

4:43: But I think getting to work with young people and getting to see young folks who came out a lot earlier than I did And support them in their exploration and just meet them where they're at with no expectations and seeing them bloom and grow because of that is really, really rewarding.

5:06: And makes me wonder what my life would have been like if I came here when I was 12.

5:12: So what are you up to when you're in the office?

5:15: Oh, I do a lot of different stuff when I'm at work.

5:20: I mean, right now I'm planning, helping to plan an event called Trans Day of Remembrance.

5:26: So often I'll be working on different events like that, but a lot of what I do has to do with our own programming here at P I running our support groups.

5:36: And also with our youth leadership team, we're working on a lot of stuff behind the scenes right now to kind of bolster our youth leadership program and that's been pretty exciting.

5:47: So I help support the youth and their roles in running our support group.

5:53: and kind of help prepare for our programming and whatever it is we're going to offer that week.

5:58: What's something that you wish everybody knew about P I I think something that I wish more people knew about P I is that we're making a really big effort to be bilingual.

6:09: And to offer more services in Spanish and to make sure that we can support community members who don't speak a lot of English.

6:15: I think that's really incredible and something that we've been really lacking for a long time.

6:20: So I wish more people knew about that.

6:23: I also wish that more people knew that you can just come and hang out like you don't have to have a reason to be here.

6:29: You can just come be here, use our computer, take a nap on a couch, have some food and some snacks.

6:35: You're always welcome and we're always happy to see you.

6:38: Thank you so much joy.

6:39: It has been a pleasure chatting with you today and I hope everybody listening enjoyed as well.

6:44: If you're interested in seeing this interview in video format, head on over to our Instagram at positive images.

6:52: There, you'll be able to find videos of joy of our team and a bunch of other really fun content.

6:57: Plus you'll be able to find out what's up on the docket for us.

7:00: This week.

7:00: So we'll see you next time.

7:02: Have a good one.

7:03: Bye.

7:04: The future of positive images is looking bright and we hope that you'll join us along our journey.

7:09: You can check out our website pause images dot org.

7:12: That's P OS images dot org and see our community calendar for fun things coming up in community and opportunities to join our peer support groups.

7:21: You can also drop into the center from noon to six pm.

7:24: Tuesdays through Fridays.

7:26: We would love to see you there.

7:28: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at positive images to stay up to date with the absolute latest.

7:34: Until next time, I have been chase overall director of development for positive images and this has been positively positive images.

7:53: What you're still here.

7:55: That must mean that you really love us.

7:57: If you are willing and able, you can always support positive images by making a donation.

8:02: Did you know that by making a donation of only $5 a month?

8:07: You help us out immensely.

8:09: We're using this money to continue to support the LGBT Q I A two S plus community right here in Sonoma County.

Listen Here

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0:00: My degree is in human development with a focus in early childhood and a minor in women's and gender studies with a focus on LGBT Q.

0:09: Hi and welcome to Positively, a podcast by positive images.

0:13: Today, we're interviewing our bilingual bicultural programs manager, Laura La Cave.

0:30: Positive Images.

0:33: My name is Laura and La Cave.

0:35: My title is bilingual Bicultural Programs manager.

0:38: And my pronouns are actually her.

0:40: Yeah.

0:41: What are your three top passions?

0:44: My three top passions are photography, hike and just nature and birds.

0:51: I love birds.

0:52: If you were a mermaid, what would your mea be if I was a mermaid?

0:57: My tail will be purple and my superpower will be read minds in the water.

1:04: How would your friends describe you?

1:06: Lo OK.

1:09: My friends will describe me as very extroverted, lots of energy like a Labrador retriever dog.

1:19: I have that will also describe me as I like, I'm a go go person and I just love going on adventures.

1:28: How did you first hear about P I first heard about positive images when Javier Rosales was the E D here.

1:39: And I had a connection with him via other friends and I started doing volunteer work for P I.

1:45: So how did you wind up an employee of positive images?

1:53: Here funny story.

1:55: I saw the Instagram post api because I followed and I saw that they were hiring.

2:00: So my friend Jos, she texted me and she's like they're hiring.

2:04: And I said, I know, but I don't think that's for me because I feel like they need more experience.

2:08: I have a lot of my posts syndrome.

2:10: And then I contacted jazz.

2:12: I was like, because I knew jazz.

2:14: I was like, J can I call you?

2:15: I know you're hiring, I'm interested, but I'm a little nervous and I was applying for the actually Navigator job and not the manager job and how I became an employee was, took my guts and I was like, I'm applying and I did, I know you've been really involved with the letter people.

2:31: How did that get started?

2:33: Yeah.

2:33: So the letter people started back in 2014, 15.

2:38: We, I just started with literally like eight people.

2:41: And then I took the role of a director assisting, developing increase on community increase of like building LGBT Q folks, especially when it comes in relations to the professionalism and having each other's connections and referrals.

2:56: So this group was really brought up a lot of connection within the LGBT Q community.

3:02: The one thing that it was lacking was a lot of the bilingual part of things.

3:06: But I think as it grew because it went from literally four, from 48 people to like 500 members.

3:14: What's the most rewarding part of working for P I?

3:16: To you the most rewarding part of working for P I so many?

3:20: Is it going to be a year next month since I've been working for P I I think is the amazing team that we can handle anything.

3:29: And like we don't have all people running the world.

3:34: Like we don't have, we have a bunch of us are young entrepreneurs, brain like so many good brains.

3:40: And I feel like I feel motivated every day for that.

3:43: And the older part also, it's like building something like a new program, a bilingual program I think has been really empowering.

3:52: What are you up to when you're in the office?

3:56: I'm up to lots of readings, lots of connecting with community, lots of partnership with other agencies that speak Spanish, emails, emails, emails.

4:08: but also creating like also like guides for programs or creating like data for E Y C or creating some things that will help us continue grow the bilingual program.

4:19: So there's a lot, a lot of the behind the scenes and I feel like a lot of this stuff have to do with like lots of writing, lots of reading, lots of connecting, lots of talking, lots of like mingling with people too in networking spaces.

4:33: What do you wish people knew about P I I wish they knew that this place has been open for 34 years and that they had services for so for people here like in the county, I wish they knew that this space was open, knowing that existed.

4:48: Thanks so much Lao.

4:49: It has been a pleasure getting to know you a little bit better if you're interested in hearing from Lao in person.

4:56: Kind of, you can head on over to our Instagram at positive images to check out the video that goes along with this audio recording.

5:04: We are so grateful that you stuck around to hear more about our bilingual bicultural programming and get to know Lao a little bit and we'll see you next time.

5:12: Thanks.

5:13: The future of positive images is looking bright and we hope that you'll join us along our journey.

5:18: You can check out our website pause images dot org.

5:21: That's P OS images dot org and see our community calendar for fun things coming up in community and opportunities to join our peer support groups.

5:30: You can also drop into the center from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.

5:35: We would love to see you there.

5:37: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at positive images to stay up to date with the absolute latest.

5:43: Until next time I have been Chase Overall director of development for positive images and this has been positively positive images.

6:02: What you're still here that must mean that you really love us.

6:06: If you are willing and able, you can always support positive images by making a donation.

6:11: Did you know that by making a donation of only $5 a month, you help us out immensely.

6:18: We're using this money to continue to support the LGBT Q I A two S plus community right here in Sonoma County.

Listen Here

0:00: I think one of the most rewarding parts of working at positive images is just truly seeing how people can grow when you show them a little bit of care.

0:09: Hello and welcome to Positively a podcast by positive images.

0:13: It's been a while today.

0:15: We're interviewing our director of programs, Jess Carol, positive images.

0:31: I'm Jess.

0:31: You can use any pronouns for me.

0:33: And my title is the director of programs of positive images.

0:39: What are your top three passions?

0:42: Oh My top three passions are supporting community, loving people real hard and being a badass on the rugby field.

0:52: What's the difference between working at P I and being on a rugby team?

0:56: Interesting managing a team here at positive images and being a part of a team, rugby team are actually really similar.

1:06: My approach to all of it is kind of like, where do I fit in?

1:09: How do I best support the people around me and how do we work as a team towards an objective or a goal if that's running people over and scoring on the rugby field or if it's like, how do we work as a team to make a project or a program here.

1:23: Really, really work for community.

1:25: It's just all about teamwork.

1:26: Oh, I'm tackling people.

1:27: Most weeks.

1:28: At least once a week someone's going to get tackled.

1:31: It doesn't hurt that bad.

1:32: And if they say it does, they're lying.

1:35: How would your friends describe you?

1:38: I think that my friends would probably describe me as silly goofy little guy, but also, like, really caring, compassionate and supportive and hilarious and very good looking.

1:49: And I'm a Leo.

1:50: So I need all of the affirmation I can get.

1:53: Tell us about the first time you heard of P I.

1:57: The first time that I heard about positive images was actually when I was moving back to Sonoma County, I grew up here in Santa Rosa, spent the 1st 18 years of my life here.

2:07: And then I moved away for a long time and I moved to Sacramento.

2:11: So how did you become an employee of P I?

2:14: Yeah.

2:15: So back in 2016, I was freshly back to Sonoma County.

2:20: I was just looking for jobs.

2:22: I googled what type of community jobs were open and out.

2:26: And I saw that there was a job available at positive images.

2:29: I got really excited and I applied, I ended up not getting that position, but it was all for the best because it wasn't the right job at the right time for me.

2:39: But about a year later, the leadership of the org did reach back out to me when a different job was open and it ended up being the right fit at the right time.

2:48: The universe does work in particularly amazing ways.

2:52: Can you tell us a little bit about your career?

2:55: Yeah.

2:56: A lot of the work that I've done previously has been in residential mental health care.

3:00: It's been in suicide prevention programs.

3:02: It has very much been rooted in community care.

3:06: I think especially my very early jobs were all in youth work.

3:12: But as I kind of grew, I was creating a lot of programs for organizations that were similar but mostly working with youth who were in the foster care system or affected by different systems.

3:24: But all kind of creating programs that were aiming to just care for one another.

3:30: That's where the majority of my work has always been.

3:34: What's the most rewarding part of your job?

3:37: The most rewarding part of working with positive images is working with Chase great.

3:43: The most rewarding part of working at positive images is actually getting to see the growth of the community members, especially our very young friends who come and are looking for support, they're looking for belonging, they're looking for people that care, they're looking for community, being able to have a small part in caring for these young people so that they can learn how to care about themselves.

4:09: is truly the most incredible part of working here.

4:12: It is also just so much fun like we are having a good time all of the time here in the center.

4:21: What are you up to when you're in the office?

4:24: When I'm at work?

4:25: I am doing a lot of work that is within the center.

4:28: I'm supporting a lot of the programs.

4:31: I am also facilitating some of our programs like our youth leadership team, even some of our support groups and our social Saturdays and different events that we have going on.

4:40: I am doing a lot of work to support the team that is like the coordinators who are actually facilitating a lot more of this work.

4:50: I'm working with the director's team to kind of lead us in a direction that this organization needs to go.

4:59: I am doing a lot of admin and operations.

5:05: What's one thing that you wish everybody knew about P I?

5:08: One thing that I wish people knew about positive images is just how bad ass we actually are and how deep our programs actually become, how much support we are able to give to community members.

5:22: And just the breadth of all of our services here, there is so much going on that lots of folks in community can find something that's for them.

5:32: I wish that people knew just how much we are actually doing to support this local community.

5:38: Thanks so much Jess.

5:39: It's been a pleasure getting to know you.

5:41: And if you're interested in seeing this video in video format with closed captioning on screen, you can head on over to our Instagram at positive images and see Jess in person kind of.

5:55: Anyway, thanks so much and we'll see you next time.

5:58: All right, y'all hope to see you out in community real soon.

6:04: The future of positive images is looking bright and we hope that you'll join us along our journey.

6:08: You can check out our website, pause images dot org.

6:12: That's P OS images dot org and see our community calendar for fun things coming up in community and opportunities to join our peer support groups.

6:21: You can also drop into the center from noon to six pm.

6:24: Tuesdays through Fridays.

6:26: We would love to see you there.

6:28: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at positive images to stay up to date with the absolute latest.

6:33: Until next time I have been chase overhaul director of development for positive images and this has been positively positive images.

6:52: What you're still here.

6:54: That must mean that you really love us.

6:56: If you are willing and able, you can always support positive images by making a donation.

7:02: Did you know that by making a donation of only $5 a month?

7:06: You help us out immensely.

7:08: We're using this money to continue to support the LGBT Q I A two S plus community right here in Sonoma County.

Listen Here

Transcription:

0:00 Welcome to Positively a podcast by positive images.

0:03 Today, we're interviewing Nico, one of our youth participants turned youth development leader

0:10 PI Theme Song with Airy Synths and a strong baseline

0:21 Hi.

0:22 My name is Chase Overholt and I'm the Director of development for positive images.

0:25 And today I am joined by Nico.

0:27 Oh my gosh.

0:28 Hi, how are you?

0:30 I'm doing great.

0:31 We're sitting here today in the center and we thought we'd record a quick podcast about how you came to be a part of the youth development leadership team and one of our interns.

0:39 Yes.

0:39 It is one of my favorite stories to tell.

0:41 Actually, I had heard about positive images all through high school just about queer prom that they had put on but not like anything else beyond that.

0:51 And it wasn't until I had graduated and it was COVID times and everyone's life was falling apart that I finally was like, hm, maybe I should go to P I.

1:07 So I actually met a couple people from P I at a memorial for shared grief that somebody in the community was putting together.

1:16 And that finally drove me to go to my first couple meetings.

1:20 It was just the adult support groups.

1:22 They were all online pretty much by that point.

1:26 And after that, I just was there every week,, popped out again after that for a couple of months, feeling just bad overall.

1:37 , and I think I had barely started coming to meetings again when I was, like, still newly not homeless and like, trying to figure out how to, like just live day to day.

1:52 , and then I was just having a, a very bad day and I knew that I couldn't be alone and I knew that the center was open.

2:02 And so I popped in and Jess our lovely director of programs.

2:07 -I love him so much- was the only person there.

2:11 And so he was like, thank God, like I have somebody to talk to now and we just kind of started talking about what was going on with me, Jess was like, well, we just had somebody leave having to leave our leadership development team.

2:26 And I was like, the what? she's like, oh, yeah, for our youth program, we also have our youth leadership program, which is for anyone from 12 to 24.

2:39 So she's like, you're, you're in that age range.

2:42 And I was like, yeah.

2:44 and what is the youth Leadership Development program?

2:45 That's such a good question.

2:47 So, it's a way for youth that wanna take on like a little bit more responsibility for a chance for them to step up.

2:55 So we meet before our support groups on Thursdays.

2:59 And then we also have like a debrief meeting the day after and we all together decide what goes on in the groups who's leading, what activities, what kind of themes and what we want to focus on.

3:13 So we now have all of these kids.

3:15 We've really stepped up for the last like three months.

3:19 We're really changing the program and I'm so excited they're taking on so much more responsibility and doing a lot more in person sessions.

3:25 Yes, we're now in person twice a month, if not three times for an extra fifth week.

3:32 So, yeah, if you're a youth come to the 2nd and 4th in person nights now, And if you really enjoy those and want more of certain activities to happen, then you get to make the decision.

3:47 So, now it's like, hey, what do we want to do more of?

3:50 And it's like we haven't done a karaoke in a while, like performance in a while.

3:53 Can we do like an open mic night?

3:55 And they're like, yes, let's figure out how we can do it when we can schedule the next one.

3:59 We're really hoping to this year, take maybe some of them to a leadership conference like the interns to go to last year.

4:09 Can you tell us a little bit about the Elevate Youth California (EYC)?

4:12 Yes, I am literally wearing the shirt right?

4:15 Now, even though I did not plan to be on a podcast today, It was incredible.

4:21 A whole bunch of, I think their age range was 14 to 26.

4:25 youth leaders who like, all got together and taught about advocacy and anti racism.

4:34 It was really cool to see these high schoolers from around the state, like talk about the progress that they've been making, like advocating for others in their community and just like how to be able to speak up.

4:47 There was a lot of different programs or workshops that they held.

4:50 I only got to go to three of them and my favorite was led by a high school group from I think Central Valley just it was advocacy one on one.

5:02 And I think it was probably the most, what was it?

5:07 It was the most impactful.

5:10 Yeah, it was definitely the most impactful workshop that I had been to in a long while.

5:16 And it was my first real opportunity to kind of see myself as part of a bigger thing than just P I because lately we've been reaching like so far into the community and I've just been seeing like how many more events that are going on that we're holding for more people of color, for more bilingual people.

5:38 Like we are expanding at like a huge rate.

5:41 And I'm like, oh, this is not where I thought this would go when I started working here, like a year and a half ago, two years ago almost.

5:50 I was like, I really like it.

5:51 I like what I'm able to do here.

5:53 I really appreciate having like, a set schedule and a set thing that was getting me to connect with people every week.

6:01 , because I just wasn't getting that connection anywhere else and I, like, I'll never forget this.

6:09 I think the first or second week when I had like, officially been hired, I was a grounder because we always like to open and close the meetings with a, a grounding and one of the kids damned me on Discord.

6:25 After like right after we close the meeting was like, hey, I'm having a panic attack.

6:30 Like, can you come help me?

6:31 Like the breathing was really helpful.

6:33 Like, how did you do that?

6:35 And so I ended up calling them and just like talking them through breathing and like, I, I just, I've thought about that moment a lot of just the first like real impact that I saw myself have on any of the kids that I've been working with and now just seeing like how confident they're getting when they're here and how they're excited to take on new stuff here.

7:07 And just, I got I got a Happy Father's Day message from the same kid.

7:14 Yes, sorry, everybody.

7:16 I do have a favorite, but I was forcibly adopted as a father.

7:20 Do you blame me.

7:23 But that's incredible.

7:25 So, OK, few questions about your work at P I one.

7:28 What's your favorite part about working at P I or just your favorite part about P I in general?

7:34 I think it's just like the little conversations that I get to have day to day whenever I'm here because I didn't realize that that was something that I was like, deeply missing in my life is just the easy, almost nothing exchanges that you get to have with people that you care about.

7:55 And just knowing that like whenever I walk into a PI space, there's always going to be somebody I know there and not only that but somebody that's going to say, hey, go, hey chase and it is really lovely.

8:07 I, I literally can never work anywhere else now.

8:13 Speaking of that was gonna be my next question for you.

8:16 So you are very young and you've got a whole life ahead of you.

8:21 What would your dream job be?

8:25 Oh gosh, this has changed a lot over the years.

8:33 And I think I've settled on the facts that I kind of am in a place of my dream job.

8:43 Like, I don't know, it's, it's like, I don't know like what else I would be doing.

8:50 It's I get to go at a pace where I know if I need more rest or I need to take a step back.

8:57 I'm able to do that here, but I'm also able to like, push things that I'm excited for.

9:02 Like, I really want to get a silent disco going.

9:05 I'm putting it in the parking lot.

9:07 I want to do versions of games that I like watch on game changer.

9:11 I wanna do that for our kids and also we can bring that to the adults.

9:15 Like I'm getting to create and run games.

9:20 , and then that I very much have become exactly what I needed when I was these kids ages.

9:31 That's really beautiful.

9:33 It's I cry sometimes about it because I just didn't have a space where I, not necessarily where I felt that I was stifled in my queerness and trans because I didn't know that I was trans and I also like had queer friends, but I guess I just didn't have a space where I could express myself in just any way.

10:00 Like ill, I'll notice, I'm like, wow, I love encouraging these kids to talk about whatever they're interested at the time.

10:08 And I love, like, gently telling them that something was not cool and not yelling at them.

10:14 Like I love that.

10:15 I just, I know for me, I think frequently, like if I had a role model like Kimi or Jess or Nico or Crimson or Joy or Marian when I was the age that some of these kiddos are, I would be the president right now.

10:31 I fully believe it.

10:33 Anyway, Nico, thank you so much for sharing your story.

10:36 You're so welcome.

10:37 I loved doing it.

10:38 Any final thoughts for the pod.

10:43 The most important thing about being alive is being alive with people.

10:52 And when you find the right people to be around and to be alive with, they make the being alive much easier.

11:01 And so I think the most important thing in life is to find your people, find your crowd.

11:08 Yeah.

11:09 And what would you say to any queer person in our area that hasn't experienced P I yet?

11:14 Please come like, come check us out.

11:17 And I literally ran to the grocery store that I had just been at on Tuesday to give the cashier that saw me like a postcard of us and be like, please come because they were new to the area and they were like queer and I'm like, please just because I want everybody to be able to find community like I have.

11:37 So please come join us.

11:39 And if one of our events isn't for you, we have different ones.

11:42 So try us a couple of times.

11:45 That's beautiful.

11:46 Thanks so much, Nico.

11:47 Thank you.

11:47 Chase a good one.

11:51 The future of positive images is looking bright and we hope that you'll join us along our journey.

11:56 You can check out our website, pause images dot org.

11:59 That's P OS images dot org and see our community calendar for fun things coming up in community and opportunities to join our peer support groups.

12:08 You can also drop into the center any time from noon to five Tuesday through Friday and noon to three on Saturdays, we would love to see you there.

12:17 Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at positive images to stay up to date with the absolute latest.

12:23 Until next time I have been Chase overhaul director of development for positive images and this has been positively

12:28 Positive images Theme Song

12:43 What you're still here?

12:44 That must mean that you really love us.

12:47 If you are willing and able, you can always support positive images by making a donation.

12:52 Did you know that by making a donation of only $5 a month, you help us out immensely.

12:58 We're using this money to continue to support the LGBTQIA2S+ community right here in Sonoma County.

Listen Here!

Transcription:

0:00: Welcome to Positively a podcast by positive images.

0:03: Today, we're going to do the groundwork of talking about who we are, where we came from, where we are right now and where we're going.

0:10: PI Jingle comprised of a kick drum and airy synths.

0:20: Positive images.

0:23: Hi there.

0:24: My name is Chase Overholt.

0:25: I am the director of development for positive images and I'll also be your host guiding you through positively a podcast by positive images.

0:35: I'm so excited y'all are here listening today and I'm really excited to tell y'all a little bit of our lore actually to dive into where we were and where we are and where we're hopefully going.

0:49: So without further ado, let's jump back to 1990 in January.

0:54: Positive images opened doors to Sonoma County's LGBTQIA plus community for the first time, founded as a collaboration between Beverly Laird and Jim Foster. Positive images set out to address community disparities by creating a bridge for connection and community support.

1:11: PI held our very first meeting with five young gay men who were desperate for support, connection and community during the height of the AIDS epidemic, Jim and Beverly understood that the word positive held a deadly connotation and society treated folks with a positive diagnosis as outcasts.

1:28: They decided to create a space where young LGBTQIA plus individuals could see and create positive images of themselves and their community.

1:38: By the second year, the bi monthly Thursday night support meetings expanded into weekly meetings and they continued ever since. Another prong to our multi prong approach to creating a more inclusive Sonoma County,

1:51: Our early leaders realized from the beginning was that we needed to educate for acceptance.

1:57: Our leaders knew that transforming our county into an LGBTQIA plus affirming community required both support and training for future allies.

2:06: In the spring of 1990 positive images began sharing presentations at local high schools and supporting GSA clubs on the ground.

2:12: The effort soon evolved to form LGBT Q I A plus cultural competency trainings.

2:17: These were for organizations, institutions seeking to create safer spaces for queer communities.

2:23: Some of them include Santa Rosa Junior College, Sonoma State University, high schools, middle schools, social service agencies, churches, community groups, other nonprofits, hospitals, and even government agencies.

2:36: Those first two years were absolutely crucial for our community.

2:41: So in the summer of 1992 positive images began a mentorship program to expand our peer support.

2:47: It trained and supported LGBTQIA plus adults who had the desire and commitment to work with queer youth.

2:53: Volunteers of positive images contributed a vast array of talents in support of our organization including launching fundraising efforts and special events, providing expertise in nonprofit organizational support, giving regular donations or by becoming board members of positive images.

3:10: Let's backtrack a little bit to June of 1990 positive images marched in Sonoma County's first pride parade and later marched alongside Lyric.

3:19: Lyric is based out of San Francisco.

3:21: That's lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center in San Francisco's pride parade.

3:27: We believe that celebration of our visibility is vital to community building.

3:31: As our co-founder, Jim Foster said you can't help but feel good about declaring who you are when marching down the street and carrying the P I banner.

3:39: This is a very powerful act in countering any shame.

3:44: Positive images unveiled our first office in 1994 a tiny room located at 1023 4th street in downtown Santa Rosa by October of that year, we held our first homecoming out dance and later, the first positive image is Valentine's Dance in February 1996.

4:04: From 1998 to 2002.

4:07: We were rallying parent support in the summer of 1998 supportive parent allies, Ray and Jill Tarap and Deb and Robert Lane created the first positive images, parent support group.

4:18: This group focused on providing support and education to parents of LGBT Q I plus youth.

4:24: The group convened parents of queer youth into community building activities and rallied parents to march in the Sonoma County and San Francisco pride parades.

4:32: In 1998 positive images moved into our first full sized space which served as a headquarters for the organization and allowed for growth over the next four years.

4:43: In 1999 Nancy Vogel joined positive images and created a unique co executive directorship with Jim Foster.

4:50: The organization continued to grow and evolve until it became apparent that more space was desperately needed, which brings us to the Chinn Street House.

4:59: In 2003, positive images seized a timely opportunity to move into a house on Chinn Street.

5:04: This location would be positive images home for many years to come.

5:08: It's fondly remembered as our home base for generations of positive images, communities.

5:13: But with more members and programs than ever, we eventually outgrew that spot too.

5:18: In 2015, after 25 years of service, our co-founder Jim Foster was ready to retire from positive images and invite a new era of leadership.

5:29: After working as the community outreach coordinator for several years, Javi Cabrera Rosales accepted the role of director of programs with excitement and a vision toward the future.

5:39: Javi navigated positive images through new and exciting challenges including securing critical funding and key partnerships.

5:46: Javi's skills, charisma, intelligence, drive and joy, continue to inspire us.

5:51: Keep us laughing and model impeccable leadership to our community.

5:57: In 2017, Javi was ready for their next professional opportunity and led the effort to find positive images.

6:03: Our next leader, positive images was excited to bring on our current director of programs, Jessica Carroll, who joined the team in November 2017, raised in Roseland.

6:13: Jess came to the organization with the skills, knowledge and experience to serve the local LGBTQIA plus community and the understanding of the unique cultures, communities and landscapes of Sonoma County just led the organization and staff with positivity, warmth, excitement, helping to position positive images and its most significant cultural evolution and expansion to date.

6:37: In 2016, a determined board of directors found positive images, a new home across the street from our long time Chinn Street location, we were able to grow from a small house to an entire LGBTQIA plus community center located at 200 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa California.

6:55: Recognizing that our need for support did not expire at a certain age.

6:58: After 28 years of offering support groups to only youth and young adults.

7:02: We launched an LGBTQIA plus Adult support group.

7:06: In 2018, our LGBTQIA plus community center was then able to host youth support groups 12 to 18.

7:14: A youth leadership development program, adult support groups and provide a meeting space for many local community groups which brings us to today.

7:24: We're currently in one of the largest growth phases we have ever been in as part of this huge growth phase.

7:33: We were able to bring on our newest leader, Kimi Barbosa in 2023.

7:39: The Positive images board and staff led the search for a new executive director.

7:43: In the summer of 2023 we invited Kimi to lead us toward a new future.

7:47: Here's some words from Kimi, LGBTQIA plus Services have historically lacked an approach that is intersectional and accessible.

7:55: We have set out to change that we're committed to the creation of a space that promotes the values we hold centering diverse communities, voices and working towards collective liberation while supporting the needs of our community.

8:08: For the first time in our history, positive images has developed a new infrastructure for Multilingual and multicultural support for Latine and QTBIPOC communities living in Sonoma County by hosting new bilingual programming exclusively for QTBIPOC individuals and expanding our bilingual and bicultural staff.

8:25: We are lighting the way for the future we can all thrive in.

8:28: We know that a liberated future for LGBTQIA plus communities requires a commitment to centering QTBIPOC and immigrant experiences and ending white supremacy and other systems of oppression that harm our communities.

8:40: So how are we doing that?

8:43: Well, this team of 13 is absolutely incredible.

8:47: This is my favorite part of the podcast where I get to go off a off script a little bit, you know, and really talk to you about where we are right now.

8:55: We've got a beautifully built out bilingual and bicultural team led by the incredible Laura LeCave and staffed by both Ronimar and Alex.

9:06: These three are incredible advocates for their community showing up in a every avenue that they can.

9:13: In fact, Lau has been working on developing a relationship with organizations in more rural communities that are primarily monolingual Spanish speakers.

9:22: By doing this, Lau has been able to educate folks that have not had the opportunity to learn about the LGBTQIA community and help them become advocates for their own queer kiddos.

9:33: This work is not in a vacuum though we're also working to build support in every aspect of the queer individual in Sonoma County's life.

9:43: As we mentioned earlier, the LGBTQIA cultural competency training is led by our incredible Drew Crawford and staffed by some other amazing staff like Vanessa and Joy.

9:55: The training's arm is out in schools every single week.

10:00: I'm not kidding.

10:01: Every single week we have folks out in schools talking to students, talking to teachers, talking to administrators, making sure that Sonoma County is upholding safe and equitable spaces for our most vulnerable.

10:17: This work is absolutely crucial for this vision that we hold for the future of Sonoma County.

10:23: Speaking of our vision for the future of Sonoma County, we the executive team, Kimi Barbosa, myself and Jess Carroll are working in tandem with staff board and equity first consulting to draft our five year strategic plan.

10:38: And with that comes putting into writing all of these things we hold as hopes and desires for the future.

10:45: So here's our drafted vision statement in North Bay where LGBTQIA2S plus people, especially folks living at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities have equitable access to resources.

10:58: Feel a sense of safety and belonging rooted in communities of care and can live authentic, thriving interconnected lives.

11:06: I don't know about you, but that is certainly a future that I want to live in.

11:10: So we have our feet on the ground running, trying to make that a possibility by living into our commitments and living into our values.

11:20: In fact, we as a team drafted all of our values together to create a beautiful list of exactly who we are and what we stand for.

11:30: Our values are accessibility, accountability, community, creativity, equity, and anti-racism, intersectionality and liberation.

11:42: And you might be wondering, it's nice to put down those words, but how are you living into them?

11:47: Well, one example is a regular presentation led by one of our incredible staff members, Roni from our bilingual and bicultural team.

11:55: They're presenting regularly on disrupting whiteness in the workplace.

11:59: They've built a beautiful presentation full of sources and information that we can reference in order to knock down some of these things that we all bring into workspaces from conditioning over many years in different spaces.

12:15: But today we work at positive images and we work for community by community and in community so we get to live into these values every single day.

12:25: We also have a practice of accountability in our space.

12:27: Anytime anybody on any position has attention, they're welcomed and encouraged to bring it up so that we can talk it out as a team and get through it and build stronger connection.

12:40: In fact, we utilize a flattened hierarchy of positive images, while just Kimi, Jess and I hold director level titles.

12:47: It doesn't mean that we're calling all the shots we're bringing in all of our employees to make big decisions all the time.

12:53: In fact, our value statement was actually drafted in tandem with our whole team.

13:00: Another exciting venture that we're reaching out towards right now is building our board.

13:05: So we've brought on a few new amazing board members that we're so excited for you all to meet the future of positive images is looking bright and we hope that you'll join us along our journey.

13:17: You can check out our website posimages.org, that's posimages.org and see our community calendar for fun things coming up in community and opportunities to join our peer support groups.

13:30: You can also drop into the center any time from noon to five Tuesday through Friday and noon to three on Saturdays.

13:37: We would love to see you there.

13:39: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @positiveimages to stay up to date with the absolute latest.

13:45: Until next time I have been Chase Overholt, director of development for positive images and this has been positively positive images.

13:53: PI Jingle comprised of a kick drum and airy synths.

14:04: What you're still here, that must mean that you really love us.

14:08: If you are willing and able, you can always support positive images by making a donation.

14:14: Did you know that by making a donation of only $5 a month, you help us out immensely.

14:20: We're using this money to continue to support the LGBT QIA2S plus community right here in Sonoma County.