OVERVIEW

Out Youth serves Central Texas LGBTQIA+ (lesbian/gay/bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, intersex, and asexual) youth and their allies with programs and services to ensure these promising young people develop into happy, healthy, successful adults.

Founded in 1990, Out Youth has grown and changed over the years, but we’ve always retained our most important facet – providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth to come together, receive support, and make friends who understand who they are.

We host a variety of programs and services for youth and provide trainings and resources for parents, teachers, and community members.

MISSION

Out Youth promotes the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of sexual and gender minority youth so that they can openly and safely explore and affirm their identities.

VISION

Out Youth envisions a world where sexual and gender minority youth receive the support needed to develop positive self-images, empower themselves and become active citizens in their communities.

VALUES

We believe strongly in the following core values, which support our mission and vision.

Sanctuary

We believe that all individuals have the right to be themselves and to express themselves without fear. We work toward this ideal by encouraging people to live their own lives fearlessly and by working to build safer communities.

Empowerment

We believe that young people have the knowledge, skills, and experience to make decisions for themselves and to make meaningful contributions to their communities. We encourage and support them as they develop and apply their capacity to transform themselves and the world in which they live.

Justice

We believe that all people have the right to live their lives with dignity. We work toward building a more just society in which everyone has an equal opportunity to live openly and honestly.

Diversity

We believe in honoring our similarities and differences as individuals as well as members of our larger society. We are open to learning about both our individual uniqueness and the ways in which we all connect to one another.

Community

We believe that individuals gain strength by engaging with and contributing to others. Working collectively toward our shared goals deepens our connection to one another.

Integrity

We believe in living with honesty and respect for ourselves and for others. We carefully consider our decisions and take full responsibility for the consequences of our actions.

HISTORY

Founded in April 1990, Out Youth began as a support group led by two graduate students from The University of Texas School of Social Work. Their research into gay and lesbian youth found that they were more likely to commit suicide than other adolescents. They found, however, that no resources existed for these youth in the Austin area.

After meeting in (and quickly outgrowing) living rooms and libraries, Out Youth became a program of what then was the University YWCA and obtained our first grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Early partnerships with LifeWorks, Waterloo Counseling Center and Metropolitan Community Church of Austin (MCC) were crucial to Out Youth’s growth and ongoing community support.

During time with the University YWCA, Out Youth services included a nationwide helpline that was answered seven nights a week by trained volunteers. The helpline was operated until the Trevor Project came along with its own 24-hour service in 1998. Located on Guadalupe Street, we found ourselves serving a great many homeless youth, and partnered with LifeWorks to provide outreach and HIV services to this under-served population.

In 1995, Out Youth became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to provide services to Central Texas “sexual minority youth” ages 12 to 22. After a few years being housed with the Metropolitan Community Church at Austin’s short-lived LGBT Community Center, Out Youth moved in December 1998 to a 1,900-square-foot, two-story house in North Central Austin and purchased the house in March 2000.

In 2005, a series of unfortunate events led to a brief closure of Out Youth. Overwhelming community support brought many stakeholders together to restructure the organization to ensure its future.

In 2007, a generous and far-sighted donor paid off our mortgage. Our facility includes three administrative and counseling offices, a large drop-in center, the David Bohnett CyberCenter, the Jerry Strickland Jr. Memorial Library, and a room for our support groups. A large deck and front and back yard offer room for outdoor programming.