Safe Space NOVA
Jordan Costen, founder of Safe Space NOVA, which supports local teens.
Jordan Costen, the founder of Safe Space NOVA, has always looked for ways to give back.
Originally from Atlanta, Costen graduated from Howard University in 2007. He settled down in Northern Virginia, where he mentored and tutored youth with organizations like the now-defunct Space of His Own.
After years of volunteering, Costen began to wonder if there was a program specifically geared towards helping questioning, confused or isolated youth. He contacted the local offices of PFLAG and AGLA (Arlington Gay and Lesbian Association), but discovered that there was no organization specifically for teenagers questioning their sexuality or gender.
“And at that point I said, I will take up that charge,” Costen said. “I will see what I can do to bring these youth together and let them know that there are adults who have been where they’ve been, and made it to the other side, and that there are other youth in the same position.”
Reflecting on his childhood, Costen emphasized the importance of letting questioning youth know that they are not alone.
“As an LGBT adult, I remember what it felt like to be 14 and not have anybody I could relate to,” Costen said. “I had a dark moment at that point in time, but I came out on the other side.”
In a 2018 survey of over 12,000 LGBT teenagers, only 26% reported feeling safe in their school classrooms. About two thirds (67%) reported they’ve heard family members make negative comments about LGBT people, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Costen founded Safe Space NOVA to create a supportive, helpful community for local LGBT youth and to connect youth to mentors. The organization was incorporated in 2016.
Every 6 to 8 weeks, the organization hosts programming for its volunteers and participants. This programming often includes fun activities like monster golf or laser tag, but the programming can also be more educational. Recently, Safe Space NOVA partnered with the Northern Virginia Mediation Service to discuss methods for conflict resolution. The group watched the film “Love, Simon” and discussed how Simon, a high school student who is outed as gay, could have better dealt with the conflict that arose in his family life.
There is no brick-and-mortar Safe Space NOVA center yet. Costen works out of his living room. Much of what the organization does is network-building. Between 16 and 24 LGBT youth show up at each event, and there are more than 25 adult volunteers who work with the program. All adult volunteers must undergo background checks, as do all board members and members of the organization’s operations team.
“We have adults who can say, ‘I’ve experienced the same thing you are, and I’m okay,’” Costen said.
In the next 3-5 years, Costen hopes that Safe Space NOVA will expand past social activities to support youth through other programming, like mentoring and tutoring.
“Eventually, I’d love for us to have a drop-in space,” Costen said. “So youth are able to come in when they’re done with school, hang out with their friends, watch a movie, play video games, seek therapy if they need it, or just ask for help.”
Safe Space NOVA supports its mission with a number of fundraisers throughout the city. The next one, the biggest in the organization’s history, will be a brunch at The Garden on Eisenhower Avenue on Saturday, Sept. 14 from noon - 4 p.m.
The Garden is a co-building space at 5380 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria’s West End. Tickets to the fundraiser are available here through Eventbrite.
