Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning
(GLBTQ) Youth Initiative
MISSION
Advocates for Youth works to address homophobia within communities, sensitize youth-serving professionals to the needs of GLBTQ youth and to encourage GLBTQ youth to become powerful advocates for themselves and other youth by sharing culturally relevant information and access to tailored services.
Strategies
- Readdressing Homophobia/Transphobia within Organizations and Communities—Advocates for Youth works with community-based organizations that serve youth of color to address homophobia/transphobia and create safe spaces for GLBTQ youth of color. Advocates provides:
- Technical Assistance and Training—Addressing the needs of GLTBQ youth of color; culturally appropriate and inclusive programming and services; safe spaces; and youth-adult partnerships, among others.
- Seed grants—Providing community-based organizations an opportunity to create and implement a project that address homophobia and meets the sexual health needs of GLBTQ youth of color in their agency and in the community at large.
- Encouraging Youth-Serving Professionals to Meet the Needs of GLBTQ Youth—Advocates for Youth works to sensitize educators, health care providers, and other youth-serving professionals to the needs of GLBTQ youth. Advocates provides:
- Technical Assistance and Training—Addressing the needs of GLTBQ youth; concerns of GLBTQ youth of color; creating safe spaces for young people of all sexual orientations and gender identities; culturally appropriate and inclusive programming and services; online interventions; peer education; sexual health needs of lesbian and bisexual women; and youth-adult partnerships.
- Encouraging GLBTQ Youth to Work to Promote the Sexual Health of Their Peers—Recognizing that GLBTQ youth can often best help each other, Advocates for Youth trains young people as online peer educators. Peer educators undergo intensive training on sexual health, HIV, and issues of communities at risk; they are knowledgeable about and sensitive to the issues that GLBTQ youth face. Youth empower each other to make good decisions about their sexual health. Web site interventions include:
- YouthResource (www.youthresource.com)—An innovative, groundbreaking site created by and for GLBTQ young people, offering support, community, resources, and peer-to-peer education about issues of concern to GLBTQ young people.
- Ambiente Joven (www.ambientejoven.org)—A Spanish-language site for Latino YMSM and Latino/a GLBTQ youth in which peer educators provide other youth with culturally relevant information and support on sexual health issues.
- Offering Education and Outreach to the Entertainment Industry—Through the Media Project, Advocates works with the entertainment industry, encouraging depictions of responsible sexual behavior and respect for GLBTQ people in television programming.
Resources
- Publications— Materials include issue briefs, facts sheets, and teen pamphlets and toolkits related to GLBTQ youth.
Contact
Program Manager, GLBTQ Initiatives
P: 202.419.3420
F: 202.419.1448
Web: www.advocatesforyouth.org
2000 M Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036 USA
|
Send this page to a friend