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| Founded in 1993, Pride for Youth is a project of Long Island Crisis Center. Our mission is to promote the health and wellness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people (ages 13-20) and their families on Long Island. Pride for Youth operates a Coffeehouse for youth open every Friday night from 7:30-11:30pm. The Coffeehouse is a safe place for LGBTQ youth to socialize, learn about how to stay physically and emotionally healthy, and participate in self-esteem enhancing activities. We also provide the following free services: short-term individual and family counseling, support groups and creative arts groups, HIV prevention workshops and counseling, youth leadership development, peer education, and community education. Over 1,000 young people participate in our programs annually. Pride for Youth is funded by the New York State AIDS Institute, the New York State Department of Health, the Paul Rapoport Foundation, private foundations, and private donations. For more information, contact us at: (516) 679-1111 (24 hour hotline) or (516) 679-9000 (business line, hours: 10am-6pm). FACTS: � LGBTQ youth are at least 3 times more likely to commit suicide than their non-gay peers. � Young gay and bisexual men, particularly African American and Hispanic men, comprise a growing proportion of new HIV infections. � Isolation and lack of role models can lead to self-destructive behaviors among LGBTQ youth. � About half of LGBTQ youth who come out to their parents are rejected. � One-quarter to one-half of homeless youth are LGBTQ young people. � Forty percent of LGBTQ youth are victims of anti-gay violence. In Nassau County, one in ten high school students have been physically harassed based on anti-gay bias. � Twenty-eight percent of LGBTQ youth drop out of school due to harassment. DID YOU KNOW THAT LGBTQ YOUTH ON LONG ISLAND... ...Demonstrate tremendous resiliency, growing up in a frequently hostile environment? ...Have founded some of the first high school Gay-Straight Alliances in the country? ...Are becoming comfortable with their sexual identities at younger ages due to increased positive visibility and role models? ...Have helped their peers come out and advocated for them? ...Are students in virtually every school in Long Island? ...Serve as role models for gay and straight peers by demonstrating honesty, bravery, and independence? |
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