R.A.I.N.

The goal of R.A.I.N — which stands for Rainbow Alliance Institute of the Northeast — is to provide education and training to businesses, organizations and educational institutions or schools through available courses and training developed by our award-winning network of instructors.

Course Overviews:

School Training

LGBTQ+ Awareness session for all teachers, staff,
and administration

2-3 hour workshop that includes terminology, LGBTQ+ student concerns and best practices for supporting students, gender inclusivity, and Title IX. The session includes interactive scenarios catered to education to allow participants to walk away with immediately usable knowledge and skills. Participants also receive a 35-40-page printed and bound manual with
terminology, information from the workshop,
and education resources guide.

For preschools or early childhood education, the session would focus on gender formation, anti-bullying, affirming identity and promoting self-confidence, and how to create and support a healthy, inclusive environment. Information on how to encourage bodily autonomy
and consent would also be included.

Ally Training

The required Awareness session would then ideally
be followed by an additional 1-2 hours of training for individuals who self select to be Allies. We would work together to learn more about how to be an effective ally, including interactive ally scenarios, information, and resources tailored to school needs. They can then be a resource for one another and for the school.

Follow-up 1-2 hour sessions with targeted groups
are also a great idea, especially focused work with
school counselors.

Sessions are also available to work with students on
age appropriate information on consent, bodily autonomy, and dating safety.

Fill out a brief questionnaire and a representative will get back to you with a custom quote for the training.

Our Instructors:

Dr. Helen H. Davis

Dr. Helen H. Davis has a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in gender studies and a certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She also has a MPhil in English from the Graduate Center, an MA in English from Wake Forest University, and a BA from Duke University. She is an Associate Professor of English at Wilkes University, where she also teaches in the Women’s and Gender Studies program. Dr. Davis’s research interests include queer and feminist narrative theory, gender theory, nineteenth-century British literature, and rhetoric and composition. She established and has administered the Wilkes University LGBTQ+ Awareness and Safe Space Ally Program for ten years, serves as the faculty advisor for the Wilkes Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), and helped found and serves on the Wilkes Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. She has provided LGBTQ+ Awareness and Ally training at King’s College, Misericordia University, the Susquehanna County school district, and other public and private organizations. She is also on the Executive Council for the International Society for the Study of Narrative, and co-chairs the ISSN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She identifies and queer/bi/pan.

Jacob Kelley

Jacob P. Kelley is a Queer Inclusive Sex Educator with their Master of Human Sexuality Education from Widener University. A queer educator, Mx. Kelley is a current Ph.D. student studying Human Sexuality Philosophy and spent the last three years developing, learning, and creating content around LGBTQA+ inclusion. Mx. Kelley has presented at several conferences (LGBTQA+ Mid Atlantic Conference and Shining Together LGBTQA+ Summit) and presented at a variety of different universities and colleges such as Bloomsburg University and Penn State Mont Alto. Mx. Kelley is a local NEPA drag queen known as Trixy Valentine, the reigning Miss NEPA Pridefest 2019 and 2020, and has an online presence called Juicy with Jake.

Fill out a brief questionnaire and a representative will get back to you with a custom quote for the training.