Affirming spaces where LGBTQ+ young people heal, lead, and build the future

Youth Programs

The I Am Human Foundation builds programming for LGBTQ+ youth of color who have been failed by family, school, or systems and who deserve to live in a world that recognizes who they are. We hold space for young people to be themselves, build skills for their futures, and find community with peers and mentors who understand the road they are on.

Our youth programs are designed by people who have walked the road our young people are walking now. Staff and program leaders come from our communities, share lived experience with our participants, and approach the work with respect for the strength young people already carry. We do not arrive with answers. We arrive with care, resources, and a commitment to walking the journey together.

Below are our youth programming areas, each designed to meet a specific need in our young people’s lives.

Our Youth Programs

  • Peer Support Groups — Affirming spaces where LGBTQ+ youth of color come together for honest conversation, mutual support, and connection. Includes affinity spaces for trans youth, queer youth of color, and youth navigating specific challenges like family rejection or school disconnection.
  • Mentorship Program — One-on-one and small-group mentorship pairing young people with adult mentors who share lived experience. Mentors are trained, supported, and matched thoughtfully with young people based on shared interests, identity, and goals.
  • Crisis Intervention and Stabilization — Real-time support for young people in crisis, including warm handoffs to affirming mental health providers, emergency housing referrals, and immediate practical support during the hardest moments.
  • Job Readiness and Career Exploration — Training and support helping young people prepare for first jobs, internships, and careers. Includes resume development, interview preparation, professional wardrobe support, and connection to LGBTQ-affirming employers.
  • Creative Arts Programming — Trauma-informed creative arts spaces using writing, visual art, performance, and music as tools for self-expression and healing.
  • Academic Support — Tutoring, school supplies, college and trade school navigation, and academic mentorship for young people whose education has been disrupted by family, housing, or systemic challenges.
  • Big Sibling Program — Mentorship and stability for young people experiencing housing instability, designed to provide consistent adult connection during periods of family disconnection.
  • Transportation Support — Practical transportation help for youth attending school, work, appointments, or program activities. Removes a basic barrier that keeps too many young people from accessing the services they need.
  • Youth Leadership Council — A space for young people in our programs to shape what we do, lead peer programming, and develop leadership skills that will serve them long after they age out of our youth services.

Who We Serve

LGBTQ+ young people of color from age fourteen to twenty four. We prioritize trans and gender nonconforming youth, youth facing housing instability or family rejection, youth disconnected from school, youth involved with systems including foster care or juvenile justice, and youth whose first language is not English. Our programs are open to young people regardless of insurance status, immigration status, or ability to pay.

Our Approach

We do not treat young people as problems to fix or futures to shape. We treat them as people who already know what they need and who deserve adults willing to listen. Our staff hold space for the realities our youth bring with them, support without lecturing, and walk alongside young people through the steps they decide to take. Every program is shaped by feedback from the young people in it, and our Youth Leadership Council ensures that the people most impacted by our work have real authority over what that work looks like.

How to Connect

Young people, families, mentors, schools, and partners can reach our Youth Programs team at info@iamhumanfoundation.org. For young people in crisis outside our office hours, please reach out to the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.