youth leadership institute
The Marsha P. Johnson Youth Leadership Institute is the inaugural LGBTQIA2S+ youth program at Black & Pink National, named after one of the founding mothers of LGBTQIA2S+ liberation, Marsha P. Johnson. This immersive youth advocate training and leadership support model provides training to youth (ages 14-19) to become advocates in the field.
Applications Open 2021
LGBTQIA2S+ youth age 14 – 19 are eligible to apply to the Institute, with some age exceptions. The Institute is centered around four main tenets.
program principLES
Creating a space where youth are supported in investigating their background, perspective and connection of their historical relationship to LGBTQIA2S+ people.
Many LGBTQIA2S+ youth are left out of comprehensive sex ed programs and training. System involved youth don’t have the support of a parent or trusted adults to access to sex ed and STI/HIV prevention.
We believe that leadership skills are inherently possessed by LGBTQIA2S+ youth. We will reframe, reaffirm and amplify these skills in the youth who access our program.
We will work on self-evaluation, regulation, and assessment with the youth. Lived experience is a value area to do reflection and education that is authentic. Through various exercises, we add tools that support the youth in being the steward of their wellness and development.