Queer Youth Space is a grassroots movementinterested in a creating a variety of space(s) for queer youth – whether that be recruiting queer youth to sit on non-profit boards, our pilot programs (that have received notable press), or working with organizations to involve queer youth at community events and benefits. It is important to share that we recently decided to apply for a Neighborhood Matching Grant from the City of Seattle. NMF funds grassroots groups who “come together to design, build, and implement their own neighborhood and community improvement project ideas.”
NMF funds youth-initiated projects for “young people to organize around their creativity, intellect and energy and to positively engage with their peers.” A small number of dedicated QYS volunteers drew up a proposal for a youth-led queer cultural space that would operate as a non-profit of Queer Youth Space called Three Wings.
The plan reflects and responds to the voices and concerns we heard at the Queer Youth Mutiny in February as well as the many young people we are connected with through various organizations and peer networks. This plan is the laid out thoughts of a large group of queer youth. We do want to stress that the process of gathering constituents, assessing community needs, and developing a plan takes time and planning. We want to approach this with transparency, and stress it has never been our intention to be secretive. QYS is a participatory group with open public meetings every Sunday at 3pm in the Cal Anderson Shelter House.
If you have any thoughts on our goals and methods, we would love to hear them–please come to our meetings or send them to info at queeryouthspace dot com. So with that in mind, here are the ideas!
