NYC’s mission is to be a welcoming and safe space for all, and its latest step toward this goal increases support for LGBTQ youth. NYC is expanding the services it offers LGBTQ youth with a new campaign called the NYC Unity Project. NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray announced the project on Tuesday stating the city is committed to protecting and providing resources for young New Yorkers no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation. The city will invest an initial $4.8 million into the project and bring 16 city agencies together for this campaign.
A new 24-hour drop-in center for LGBTQ youth will open in Jamaica, Queens this October and more than 500 health + hospital physicians will be trained and certified to address the varied needs of its patients. The new center will also offer counseling services and other resources to those searching for an understanding support system.
The program has a long list of inclusivity goals it plans to tackle in the coming year, including installing a single occupancy bathroom in every city school by January 2018 and expanding its mental health and suicide prevention resources. A summit for Gender Sexuality Alliances will take place in spring 2018 and guidance counselors will be given resources to help their students form their own GSA at school. Workshops on building healthy relationships, more inclusive sex education courses and job training and career services tailored towards LGBTQ youth are also on the agenda.
To learn more about NYC Unity Project, visit nyc.gov. Discover other ways to help some of our city's most vulnerable residents in our list of volunteer opportunities for kids and Time Out New York's list of places to volunteer with kids at youth-assisting organizations.