Safe Space NOVA, an organization dedicated to providing a safe, accepting, and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ youth, is launching its first social support group.
The group will be a pilot for Safe Space NOVA’s intended expansion of peer social support groups across the region in the future.
Y’ALLS (Youth Advocacy and Leadership: Learning through Social Support) is part of the Youth Advocacy & Leadership Group at Safe Space NOVA and will differentiate activities for youth as social support (adult-facilitated peer group) and social activities (opportunities for social interaction in fun locations such as miniature golf and bowling).
The purpose and mission of the group is to encourage peer support under supervision, giving a voice to youth by forming a youth-driven group, developing leadership and advocacy skills among youth, and creating educational programs targeted at peers and adults in schools and community venues.
“Our ultimate goal is to ensure teens in the Northern Virginia area have access to an organization and activities that promote equality,” says Jordan Costen, founder/chairman of Safe Space NOVA, who grew up in Alexandria.
“As an LGBT adult, I remember what it felt like to be 14 and not have anybody I could relate to,” Costen told Alexandria Living Magazine last year. “I had a dark moment at that point in time, but I came out on the other side.”
According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), LGBTQ+ youth are at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, suicide attempts, and suicide. In addition, LGBTQ+ youth were more likely than heterosexual youth to report high levels of bullying and substance abuse.
Learn more at safespacenova.org.
