Inspire 1,000's of LGBT youth & allies in CT & US

Because of your support, and the support of others like you, True Colors is in it for the long haul.  As we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year, it seems like a perfect time to reflect on how far we have come – and how much is left to do.  But, let’s hear Tessa’s story first.

• Tessa is going to be an 18 year oldfreshman at St. Joseph’s University in the fall.  She came to True Colors as a 15 year old intern who had just come out as bisexual at school.  Her first days with us were a bit rocky – she had no experience working or being around LGBT folks. And mostly she sat back waiting for the work to come to her.  We knew she wasn’t giving it her best – and we gently confronted her. Part of loving our kids is caring enough to hold them to their highestselves – and Tessa was up to the challenge. In that first year, she organized a summit on stereotypes at her school – the result of which was the creation of their first Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA). The following year, Tessa participated in our summer Queer Academy (funded almost solely by donations from folks like
  you!).  She and other participant createdan Ally Workshop (for LGBT youth to ally for each other) which they presentedat conferences in LA, Boston, and Connecticut. Two years later, Tessa became the co-facilitator of Queer Academy –helping to design curriculum, plan activities and facilitate sessions.  In her own words, Tessa says, “I learned so much at True Colors about so many things. But, as a bisexual, multi-ethnic,Puerto Rican woman, one of the most important things I learned was that people have many parts of themselves. We deserve to have all of those identitiescelebrated. That is a message I hope to bring with me to my studies at St. Joe’s.”

When True Colors began in 1993, there were only4 GSAs in Connecticut.  Now there are more than 164 – and because of the support of loyal donors like you, we had a hand in the creation of most of them (see Tessa's story above).  Did you know that GSAs are the only school based program that has been linked to reduced suicidality in LGBT Youth? Our next step in this area is to focus on middle school supports.  The average age that LGBT youth are coming out is 11 - 13 - smack in the middle of middle school.  Yet, there is also a lot of school and
community resistance so we have our work cut out for us.

At our first conference in 1994, there were 90 youth and 250 adults. At our 20^th anniversary conference this past March, there were 2,000 youth and about 1,000 adults.  The first year, youth came on their own, mostly. This year, 114 schools used the conference as a field trip.  Donors like you helped us make sure that the conference was affordable for everyone – more than 300 youth came on scholarship or reduced rates because of the generosity of folks like you.

In 2005, True Colors launched Connecticut’s only mentoring program for LGBT youth in out of home care. Since then, we have created a model training program for mentors, mentored other groups seeking to emulate our
success, and have become the CT State Department of Children and Family’s largest provider of mentoring.  In
addition research (and common sense) tells us that youth need peers and safe social and recreational activities in order to thrive.  Because of donors like you, we now provide weekly activities all across the state!

There is so much more we can tell you, and so much more that needs to be done. LGBT youth are still thrown out of their families, bullied at school and in the community. Too many use drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of
being different.  But, with your continued support, True Colors will be there for the long haul, making a
difference for the many other ‘Tessa’s' we work with every day.

D* was 11 when he came into the True Colors mentoring program a year ago.  He was in trouble at school and acting out at home. His mom didn’t want him to be gay. His dad (with whom he has little contact) told him that if he ‘was like your faggy uncle, I will kill you.’  At the time he was referred to our mentoring program he was our youngest mentee.  We matched him with a middle aged, lesbian couple with lots of patience and love to give. It was a rough year, especially in the beginning.  D* was hospitalized, bounced into and out of a few programs. The mentors not only stuck it out with him, but with his family.  Together they weathered each storm as it blew through.  But, at the year-end match meeting, the results were astounding – D* is in school and getting good grades. And during that meeting the mom, who was so initially reluctant to have a gay son, said, “D*’s cousin is gay and his family isn’t very good about it. I am working on his mom.  But, till then, I invite him to our house every weekend. He has to have someplace where he knows that gay is okay.” What a transformation…. 

 And, donors like you make that kind of miracle possible…

We couldn’t do what we do, without YOU.  Our donors are as important as the youth we serve.  Some donors like to hear about the numbers.  How many people did we serve since our last report?  Other prefer the stories. What impact did their donations make on the people we served?  Most like a little bit of both.  (If you have a specific preference about what you would like to see included in our reports, please do not hesitate to email me at director@ourtruecolors.org or call me at (860) 232-0050, ext 302.  I would be delighted to hear from you!

 So, here’s what we have been up to in the first quarter of 2013.  Our biggest single event was the conference.  We hosted our 20^th annual True Colors conference – the largest and most comprehensive LGBTQIA youth conference in the country.  The ‘numbers’ look like this:

• Total Attendees:  2,832
• Youth who were able to attend on reduced rates or scholarships thanks to folks like you:  19 individual youth and 14 schools representing an additional 300+ students. 
• States Represented:  13 CA, CT, DC, MA, ME, NC, NJ, NY, OK, PA, RI, VT, WA
• Number of High Schools/Middle Schools that participated: 97
• Number of Universities/Colleges/Trade Schools:  12

 Here’s what some attendees had to say about their experiences:  

From a youth:  “Well you see for quite a while I have been suffering of depression. I went to True Colors for the first time this year and while there I had a little episode of sadness. I sat down and no more than 10 seconds later someone sat down to cheer me up for no reason at all but to make me feel better. This was amazing and made me want to help others the same way he helped me.” 

From one of our donors:  “I went to the opening session today… IT WAS SO AWESOME!!! I cannot believe the energy I felt in the room. I left feeling so empowered and so inspired. The speakers were all wonderful and their stories… I mean I am still speechless. I’ve always been an ally, so for me, this was so heartwarming  and so moving to witness an event such as this, and see and hear the progress, defeats, and stories from such strong people.” 

From a presenter:  “I just wanted to send a quick note of congratulations and thanks with regard to this year’s True Colors conference.  Once again it was an extraordinary, inspiring experience.  The feeling of joy and freedom among conference participants is very energizing and fills me with hope and motivation.

In addition to the conference, and directly because of the support of people like YOU, True Colors hosted 10 mentoring activities with 171 participants; conducted 5 activist institutes with 55 youth, and provided cultural competency training for 118 youth serving professionals across CT and 54 principals and Vice Principals in Minnesota. 

Thank you.  We couldn't do what we do without you - and we know it!

Links:

• True Colors website