National Program
WHY A NATIONAL PROGRAM?
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a report in 2007, which stated that 20 – 40% of the 1.6 million homeless youth nationally are LGBTQ identified. These staggering statistics point to the opportunity and obligation to not only more systematically address the dire needs of an inevitably growing population at risk, but to also have the LGBTQ movement embrace and promote emerging young leaders and the critical issues impacting their lives.
The National Program responds to two critical and timely challenges in the LGBTQ movement:
- A critical gap in youth leadership. Young people are not actively involved in shaping the LGBTQ movement agenda and priorities. This leadership void inevitably overlooks a large sector of the more vulnerable populations within our community – LGBTQ youth, particularly youth of color and low-income youth.
- A critical gap in the leadership and political power of young people through direct action organizing and leadership development. While many LGBTQ youth organizations focus solely on direct services or advocacy, we also need to support LGBTQ youth as political actors and change makers.
NATIONAL PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
FIERCE’s National Program meets these challenges by building the capacity of LGBTQ Youth Organizers. For us, this means supporting effective membership-based organizations whose priorities are shaped and led by those who have the most at stake. In addition, we need to make sure that these local efforts are linked to a national LGBTQ movement that embraces a mutli-issue and intersectional analysis of our communities.
In order to build the presence, capacity, and effectiveness of LGBTQ youth organizing across the Unites States, FIERCE will focus on two keys areas in the first phase of the National Program:
1. National Mapping & LGBTQ Youth Organizing Needs Survey
We are developing a national map of LGBTQ youth organizations/projects using existing directories and relationships. We have conducted an in-depth needs assessment with a core group of LGBTQ youth organizations to determine what support is most needed for effective LGBTQ youth organizing across the country.
Check back here soon for a summary of the survey data.
2. Capacity Building & Leadership Development:
FIERCE will help build the capacity of organizations through the development of effective and culturally relevant organizing skills and political education tool kits, tailored one-on-one support, and organizing training/political education summits. Most resources that exist for LGBTQ youth focus primarily on school or campus-based organizing, leaving a significant gap for our those in our community who have been pushed out of school or who lack formal education opportunities. Our toolkits and capacity-building support will be tailored to these sorely needed resources.
LGBTQ YOUTH of COLOR ORGANIZING SUMMIT
FIERCE hosted a day-long organizing summit at the Creating Change Conference in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday February 3, 2010. The summit worked to build the grassroots skills of LGBTQ youth of color who increasingly face homelessness, lack of safe public space, and violence. Over 30 LGBTQ youth of color from across the country experienced a fabulous interactive training space that covered organizing skills and strategies for how to build the political power of LGBTQ youth of color.
Click HERE to download a copy of the summit curriculum.
