“There’s magic in being seen by people who understand—

it gives you permission to keep going.”

― Alok Vaid-Menon (they/them), Beyond the Gender Binary

 

A brief, uncomprehensive list of things LGBTQ+ youth and young adults deserve: gender euphoria, to feel celebrated for who they are, space to explore, warmth and compassion, justice for the ways in which they are oppressed, safety and stability, answers to their questions, understanding and supportive adults in their lives, paths to affirming resources, to feel pride in their identity, opportunities for skill development, liberation from heteronormative restrictions, hope, mental/emotional/social/physical wellness, confidence, the feeling of laughing so hard your stomach hurts, to be seen and to be heard.

 

Growing up, LGBTQ+ youth are often exposed to violence, marginalization, alienation, and rejection from a potential variety of sources: family, peers, teachers, strangers, and the media, based on their LGBTQ+ identities that stand as obstacles to the aforementioned wondrous and essential experiences they deserve. Further, many LGBTQ+ youth and young adults do not currently have access to LGBTQ+ folks older than them who are invested in their success, growth, and identity development.

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By building community to support LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, the Linked Mentoring program’s goal is to connect LGBTQ+ youth with an LGBTQ+ mentor, so that the two can develop a trusting, affirming, supportive, mutually positive connection. This will be promoted and encouraged through a variety of meeting styles: one-on-one mentoring, youth committees, and community events. This variety of meeting styles will help to not only grow the connection between the pairing, but encourage the everyone in the program to interact with others to develop multiple networks of support, and create an intergenerational LGBTQ+ community. The community and relationships built will ultimately help both the youth and adults involved in our program to better navigate challenges they may face in identity exploration, coming out, breaking down internalized messages of hate. This may also assist in developing self-advocacy skills, and in identifying their passions. 

 

A key value in the development of Linked Mentoring is empowering youth by centering their voices, encouraging our mentors and mentees to have active and integral roles in shaping this program. This program has been designed and implemented in an intersectional way that values all of our mentors’ and mentees’ identities through intentional pairings, justice-focused training and resources, and inclusive activity. We aim to ultimately co-create brave spaces where youth can support and empower each other to be their most authentic selves. With programmatic flexibility, compassionate & strengths-based staff support, and commitment to accountability, we seek to co-create this program with its members. Through this, we intend to measure our progress by successful match development, expanding youth opportunities, and consistent evaluations from all members.