YOUTH OUTRIGHT WNC INC

IN 2024, YOUTH OUTRIGHT SAW GREAT GROWTH, ADAPTED TO CHANGES, AND OVERCAME UNIQUE CHALLENGES. WE STARTED THE YEAR BY MOVING INTO THE TZEDEK SOCIAL JUSTICE FUNDS BUILDING, WHERE STAFF WOULD HAVE OFFICES AND OUR PROGRAMS WOULD HAVE A HOME BASE IN THEIR COMMUNITY ROOM. WE INCREASED OUR IN-PERSON PROGRAMS FROM ONE PER MONTH TO ONE PER WEEK ON WEDNESDAYS. OUR PROGRAMS TEAM WORKED TO STRENGTHEN OUR CURRICULAR OFFERINGS, INCLUDING TOPICS LIKE BINARY MAPPING, ZINE MAKING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE, NEURODIVERGENCE AND QUEERNESS, SOCIAL JUSTICE HISTORY, AND SO MUCH MORE. OFFERING MORE PROGRAMS AT A CONSISTENT LOCATION LED TO INCREASED PARTICIPATION AND GREATER EXPOSURE FOR OUR ORGANIZATION. FOR THE FIRST TWO QUARTERS OF 2024, WE EVALUATED YOUTH NEEDS AND DEVELOPED A CLEARER VISION FOR WHAT A QUEER AND TRANS YOUTH CENTER COULD OFFER THIS REGION. WE ALSO HIRED A COMMUNICATIONS INTERN TO MEET THE NEED FOR MORE MARKETING TO REACH OUR CORE AUDIENCE. AT THE END OF MAY, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SIX YEARS MOVED ON TO A POSITION AT THE GSA NETWORK, WITH WHICH WE WORK CLOSELY IN OUR ROLE AS THE GSA NETWORK OF NORTH CAROLINA. IN 2024, WE HAD OVER 170 GSA CLUBS REGISTERED WITH US THROUGHOUT THE STATE, WHICH WE SUPPORT THROUGH CURRICULAR RESOURCES, TRAININGS, AND ADVOCACY. IN THE MIDST OF A SIGNIFICANT STAFFING TRANSITION, OUR STAFF AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAD TRANSPARENT AND HONEST CONVERSATIONS ABOUT NEXT STEPS. WE DECIDED THAT, INSTEAD OF CONDUCTING AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH, WE REDIRECTED RESOURCES TO OPENING A YOUTH CENTER AND ADDRESSING STAFF PAY EQUITY. NOW ALL OF OUR STAFF MAKE THE SAME BASE PAY, AND WE ARE A LIVABLE WAGE CERTIFIED. WE NAMED OUR PROGRAMS DIRECTOR AND FUND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR AS INTERIM CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR. UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP AND WITH THE SEEDS OF OPENING A CENTER PLANTED, NEW COLLABORATIONS AND INITIATIVES WERE EMERGING. YOUTH OUTRIGHT INITIATED A FORMAL TWO-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH CLEMSON UNIVERSITY'S REYSE PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDED THE ORGANIZATION WITH IMPACTFUL, PEER-REVIEWED INSIGHTS INTO OUR PROGRAMMING, AS WELL AS PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT. IN JUNE, WE KICKED OFF PRIDE MONTH BY HOSTING OUR 13TH ANNUAL QUEER YOUTH PROM WHERE WE WELCOMED NEARLY 200 LGBTQIA+ YOUTH TO A FANTASY THEMED NIGHT OF FUN. THIS IS ONE OF OUR MOST CHERISHED EVENTS AND PROVIDES YOUNG QUEER AND TRANS PEOPLE WITH A SAFE, AFFIRMING SPACE TO EXPERIECE A PROM WITH THEIR PEERS. OUR ANNUAL STONEWALL PRIDE FAMILY PICNIC CONCLUDED THE MONTH OF CELEBRATIONS WITH A DRAG STORY HOUR, PICNIC, AND ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK. WITH A CENTER ON THE HORIZON, WE SAW A NEED FOR MORE PROGRAM STAFFING. THE YOUTH FELLOWSHIP, IN TURN, BECAME TWO PART-TIME PROGRAM ASSOCIATE POSITIONS. WE ALSO TRANSITIONED OUR COMMUNICATIONS INTERN INTO A COMMUNICATION MANAGER ROLE TO HELP INCREASE AWARENESS OF OUR WORK. AS YOUTH OUTRIGHT GREW ORGANIZATIONALLY, WE SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH NEW AVENUES FOR YOUTH VOICES TO GUIDE OUR WORK. WE DEVELOPED OUR FIRST YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD, WHICH HELPED SHAPE THE DESIGN OF OUR NEW PROGRAMMING, ENSURING THAT OUR WORK WAS BOTH YOUTH-LED AND YOUTH-FOCUSED. THIS BOARD IS PAID FOR THEIR TIME AND COMMITMENT TO SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR ORGANIZATION. AFTER 15 YEARS OF YOUTH OUTRIGHT PRIMARILY OPERATING AS A REMOTE ORGANIZATION, OUR DREAM OF ACQUIRING AN LGBTQIA+ YOUTH CENTER CAME TO FRUITION IN JULY 2024. WE SPENT TWO MONTHS SEEKING IN-KIND DONATIONS, BUILDING FURNITURE, AND DECORATING A SEVEN-ROOM SPACE TO SERVE AS AN AFFIRMING HUB FOR OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. WE HIRED AN OPERATIONS MANAGER IN AUGUST TO HELP RUN THE CENTER AND INCREASE STAFF CAPACITY. ON SEPTEMBER 9TH, WE OPENED OUR DOORS TO THE FIRST AND ONLY QUEER AND TRANS YOUTH CENTER IN THE 18-COUNTY REGION OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA (WNC). WE BEGAN OFFERING TWO DROP-IN DAYS PER WEEK IN ADDITION TO OUR WEEKLY PROGRAMS. WE ARE PROUD THAT ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE COMPLETELY FREE TO YOUTH THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF DONORS. AS WE WERE GETTING OUR FOOTING, WNC WAS HIT BY ONE OF THE MOST DAMAGING HURRICANES IN U.S. HISTORY, LEAVING OUR REGION WITHOUT ANY POWER, CLEAN WATER, OR ACCESS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. ONCE OUR TEAM CONFIRMED THE SAFETY OF OUR STAFF, WE BEGAN PLANNING OUR ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSE. WE DEVELOPED A THREE PART PLAN TO SUPPORT MUTUAL AID, DIRECT CASH TRANSFER, AND MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMMING FOR QUEER AND TRANS YOUTH. WE ALSO ESTABLISHED A FREE STORE OFFERING HYGIENIC MATERIALS, HARM REDUCTION KITS, SAFER SEX SUPPLIES, AND GENDER AFFIRMING GARMENTS. FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2024, OUR TEAM WORKED TO HELP MEET THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF QUEER AND TRANS YOUTH TRYING TO RECOVER FROM THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL IMPACTS OF HURRICANE HELENE. IT TOOK MONTHS FOR POWER AND WATER TO BE RESTORED TO THE REGION, AND THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS ON THE AREA WERE DEVASTATING. WE OFFERED GROUP THERAPY, CLEAN DRINKING WATER, HOT MEALS, AND DISTRACTION ACTIVITIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR AS OUR COMMUNITY TRIED TO HEAL. DURING A THREE-MONTH PERIOD, WE DISTRIBUTED NEARLY 10,000 WORTH OF RESOURCES AND DIRECT CASH TRANSFERS TO LGBTQIA+ YOUTH FACING UNFATHOMABLE HARDSHIPS. WITH ITS MANY CHALLENGES, THIS TIME ALSO BROUGHT A LOT OF EXPOSURE TO YOUTH OUTRIGHT, AND WE CONTINUED TO SEE OUR YOUTH CENTER MEMBERSHIP GROW. BY THE END OF 2024, WE HAD JUST OVER 70 QUEER AND TRANS YOUTH MEMBERS. YOUTH OUTRIGHT HAS SUPPORTED AT LEAST ONE YOUTH EVERY DAY AT THE CENTER SINCE OUR ESTABLISHMENT, REALLY UNDERLINING THE VITAL NEED FOR OUR SPACE. IN DECEMBER, OUR INTERIM CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS WERE VOTED INTO AN ONGOING ROLE AS CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS WITH SPECIFIC AREAS OF EXPERTISE. WE ARE A STRONG TEAM OF QUEER AND NON-GENDER CONFIRMING INDIVIDUALS DEEPLY COMMITED TO OUR MISSION TO SERVE LGBTQIA+ YOUNG PEOPLE IN WNC AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT 2025 BRINGS YOUTH OUTRIGHT.