We are seeking Geauga County stakeholders to participate in team discussions, focus groups, and interviews. The input will be used to devise a survey for public dissemination from which valuable planning information will be collected. If you are interested, please email us at info@geaugasogi.org, and thank you for your consideration and hopeful participation in this essential project. Click here to visit the Kent State website.

This needs assessment is unique! It employs community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles, to empower, uplift, and engage the community to identify what the members of the Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ community think are the most important priorities to meet their individual needs. Additionally, extra emphasis is placed on historically marginalized and underrepresented intersecting identities of the LGBTQ+ community to ensure all who engage with the needs assessment process will have their experiences heard and objectively documented. Neighborhood members and leaders know their community best!

Below is an overview of this project. We will adapt the needs assessment process used in Greater Akron to fit Greater Cleveland’s uniqueness with your input.

The community needs assessment is organized into seven holistic health domains:

1. Health and wellness
2. Religion and spirituality
3. Education and literacy
4. Housing, food, transportation and other basic needs
5. Business, employment, and commerce
6. Safety and law enforcement
7. Recreation and leisure

There are several options for participation, depending on your availability:

1. Domain Leadership Team

Each domain will be led by a Leadership Teams in collaboration with two full-time Cleveland-based Graduate Assistants. Domain leadership team members should be able to commit to a weekly hour-and-a-half zoom meeting from March through May 2023 (see meeting times below). These leadership teams are the lifeblood of the project; in this role, you represent the direct connection between the project and the formal and informal LGBTQ+ community structures themselves.

As an individual you would represent the domain you choose either as a professional in a related occupation or as a community member with a passion for the domain. Domain working groups will be tasked with collecting information and data that already exists, which will help us to paint a better picture of the current status of the Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ community. This working group will also identify questions within their assigned domain which we will aim to answer through tools such as focus groups, interviewing key stakeholders, designing survey questions, and creative community activity planning. Your thoughts, opinions, relationships, connections, and networks are all needed to mobilize this effort for a better future.

Virtual Domain Leadership Teams Weekly Meeting Schedule – March through May 2023

• Physical health and wellness: Mondays at 10:00 AM, beginning 3/6/23
• Religion and spirituality: Tuesdays at 10:00 AM, beginning 3/7/23
• Education and literacy: Tuesdays at 1:00 PM, beginning 3/7/23
• Housing, food, and basic needs: Wednesdays at 10:00 AM, beginning 3/8/23
• Business, employment, and commerce: Thursdays at 10:00 AM, beginning 3/9/23
• Safety and law enforcement: Thursdays at 1:00 PM, beginning 3/9/23
• Recreation and leisure: Fridays at 10:00 AM, beginning 3/10/23

We know that your time is valuable and it is a privilege to commit to weekly meetings. The project assumes a culture of inclusiveness and understanding. All these virtual encounters will be recorded and accessible to leadership team participants. You can return feedback to be incorporated into the scheduled meeting discussions. If you have a unique barrier that would prevent you from being able to participate, please bring it to my attention, and we will find a way to overcome it together.

2. Focus groups or individual interviews

Groups and interviews will be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon date and time. Anonymity to the public is acceptable.

If you have questions and are interested in joining this project, please email us at info@geaugasogi.org. You may also contact Andrew directly at asnyde20@kent.edu or call (330) 672-7330. Once he receives your email or phone call, he will schedule a meeting time to share more about the project.