When bringing together family members from different backgrounds, it’s important everyone has the opportunity to express their own identities, and this is even more vital for teens in out-of-home care. Part 4 in the Parenting Teens series looks at how to foster a youth’s sense of self and why that is so valuable.

You will start this training with a self-assessment around your own beliefs and sense of identity and where those came from. You will build on that knowledge as you transition into exploring how to incorporate a youth’s race, culture and ethnicity into your family life. Part of the learning will explore how to ensure the youth has relationships that reflect their own race, gender or sexual orientation to help them feel connected to their identity and feel pride in their culture, which fosters self-esteem and well-being.

In addition to ethnic identity the course highlights sexual orientation and gender identity as crucial points to nurture. You will be guided through key terms, examine struggles specific to this group and work through developmental challenges that may be present. An exercise in tips for creating safe environments for LGBTQ2S youth pulls all this together. You will learn key ways to communicate acceptance and support for youth who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity and/or identify as LGBTQ2S.

At the end of this critical course you will have the foundation for nurturing a youth’s identity in myriad ways and have specific ideas on how to show support and incorporate this into your family life.

Each part should be taken in order.