On Saturday, December 8th, CYC's 2nd Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth Leadership Forum and Cause Mob included 10 youth from six different schools in the metro Denver area.
The morning's events focused on dialogue about a video clip from PUT THIS ON THE MAP: "Re-teaching Gender and Sexuality," which led into a discussion about how, as youth, they could educate others by bringing awareness to issues facing today's LGBTQ youth. Some of the youth created an LGBTQ specific Facebook account to reach out to their out-of-school peers between the ages of 13-20. Others created hand-made signs that displayed LGBTQ and homeless youth statistics and dropout rates. These signs were used for the Cause Mob that afternoon. This event gave the youth a voice and the opportunity to bring awareness to issues many of them have experienced.
The Cause Mob took place in downtown Denver on the corners of Colfax and Broadway. A Cause Mob is like a flash mob, but instead, you have a mob of people gather with signs to bring awareness to important issues. CYC staff joined teens for the event, in support of the students in educating the community on issues facing our LGBTQ and homeless youth. The youth received positive feedback from community members and horn honks from passing motorists in support of their cause. When we were finished for the day, several youth asked when we could "do that again." We are proud of our youth for speaking out!
To learn more about CYC LGBTQ Youth, check out their Facebook page!
CYC would also like to thank the following organizations for their contributions to our most vulnerable populations (MVP):
Julia Fitz-Randolph Lesbian Innovation Fund, a Donor-Advised Fund of the Women' Foundation of Colorado
Timothy and Bernadette Marquez Foundation