A group of young adults has spent months planning the Youth Pride celebration, which is returning next month.
The second Youth Pride will take place noon-4 p.m. Aug. 6 at Palumbo Playground, 700 S. Ninth St.
Last year, Youth Pride was held in July due to a collaboration with Philly Pride Presents, and fell on a holiday weekend, but August was more convenient this year for organizers.
As the Ally Safe Schools Coordinator at the Mazzoni Center, Tasha Wirth keeps the youth organized, but they handle the bulk of the work.
“I help to create spaces and move things along in the planning process, but it’s all youth-driven,” Wirth said. “It’s students from our student leadership board as well as just students from other schools across the city who connected with us through other programs. A lot of the planning committee right now connected with us at the LEAD conference earlier this year at the school district, and we’ve got a handful of students from that. But it’s all their vision, what pride means to them. And I’m just sending the word along and making the purchase requests.”
There will be some changes from last year’s Youth Pride. The workshops and drag performances will be replaced by more spoken-word performances by young people. There will be a variety of other activities such as crafts, water balloons and a dunk tank. Along with the carnival-themed activities, the event will even have its own Snapchat filter.
“I think that being able to work with the same group of students for a longer amount of time has been great,” Wirth said. “I’ve only been in this position for almost a year now and so it’s given me some time and perspective to see what the first Youth Pride looked like, and how we can improve from the feedback from the students who were involved in the planning the first time around.”
The changes from last year’s Youth Pride are intended to create a safe and fun space for LGBT youth, Wirth noted. Youth Pride provides an opportunity for young people ages 13-24 to enjoy themselves and celebrate their identities in a non-alcoholic environment. It also recognizes the efforts of youth, who have tirelessly worked towards LGBT safety in schools.
“I think that the work that young folks do is sometimes overlooked and this space specifically is for them to be able to let their hair down, to feel safe and to be recognized for the work they’ve been doing,” Wirth said.
The event is being publicized mostly through social media. The Mazzoni Center will advertise the event through its own online presence, while the students spread the word to their peers. The young people are also writing a blog post that will likely appear in the PGN Fall 2016 Youth Supplement.