Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative has launched a new effort designed to help Latino LGBT young people reach their potential.
OUTLET will allow GALAEI to offer both individualized and group services tailored to LGBT Latinos, as well as educational efforts to heighten awareness among Latino-serving organizations.
The program is being supported by a $50,000 grant from Philadelphia Foundation’s Fund for Children.
Elicia Gonzales, GALAEI executive director, said the impetus for the program came from feedback within the Latino LGBT community about the challenges of marrying their different concepts of self.
“A lot of this came from conversations we’ve had with staff and people in the community about the difficulties facing people who have more than one identity,” she said. “If you’re both Latino and LGBT, often there’s not a place just for us. If I’m walking into a room with LGBT folks, I might be the only person of color in the room, specifically the only Latina. And if I’m in a room of Latinos, I may be the only openly LGBT person in the room. There aren’t many places where we can embrace our multiple identities and we wanted to carve this out, especially for young people, so they can come together and be empowered about being both Latino and LGBT simultaneously.”
OUTLET will be divided into four segments — individual, group, community and providers.
The individual portion will enable youth to discuss sexuality and sexual health one-on-one with GALAEI counselors, who will work with them to reach goals such as coming out to their families and friends.
Group sessions will offer a safe social space where youth can discuss their journeys with others who may be facing similar situations, while the community component will allow the youth to collaborate on a community-oriented creative project.
“They’ll be able to engage and give back to their community through some sort of art project that they’ll be able to determine what it looks like,” Gonzales said. “We left it vague so they can come up with what they want it to be — an open-mic night, a mural, planting a community garden, a photography exhibit. Some sort of way where they’ll be able to give back to the community.”
The final aspect of the program will focus on local organizations that work with Latino youth, with training on “how to make the services they provide more inclusive and embracing of the LGBT community,” Gonzales said.
GALAEI is looking to train employees at five agencies and involve about 100 youth in the program.
OUTLET will be tailored toward young people ages 13-24.
“We defined it that way to be consistent with how the [Centers for Disease Control] defines adolescence but we also wanted to make sure there was support available for those over 18,” Gonzales said. “Often programs only serve youth until they reach 18, but that’s a critical age — some youth may be stepping away from their families for the first time, getting jobs, going to college — and we wanted to make sure this program was extended to include them.”
GALAEI worked with a number of community agencies and leaders to identify youth who would be a good match for the program and will continue to rely on allies to help OUTLET reach its aims.
“We’re really looking forward to partnering not only with Latino-serving organizations but also those that work with the LGBT community to make sure we continue to strengthen the bridge between those two communities,” Gonzales said.
For more information, call GALAEI youth coordinator Nikki López at 215-851-1822.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].