Building Resilience, Leading Change: Launching the LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy Coalition

Rainbow Labs has partnered with the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ+ Center to serve SGV youth by creating the LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy Coalition.

Beyond delivering fun and engaging youth development programs, we recognize that our work would not be possible without the help of the LGBTQ+ community. As we continue to expand as an organization, Rainbow Labs has partnered with the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ+ Center to serve SGV  LGBTQIA+ youth by creating our  LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy Coalition.

This merger has been possible through the California Department of Public Health's All Children Thrive (ACT) grant program. For background, ACT is a state program that offers aid to help local communities prevent childhood adversities through learning systems and public policies. Its project grant for nonprofit work and community programming can significantly contribute to programs that support youth, such as the LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy Coalition.

Our youth initiative ensures that LGBTQIA+ youth in the SGV area have access to create intentional community-based change in schools and access to inclusive spaces. To summarize, we want to make their voices present in school system policies and beyond.  What propelled this idea was the implementation of harmful school district policies. Several policies across California currently intend to notify parents if a student identifies as Transgender. 

This fear was further ignited when the Glendora Unified School District introduced its "Parental Rights Policy," which required school staff to inform parents if a student expressed gender nonconformity or requested to be identified by a different gender or name. It seemed plausible that it'd pass because schools in the Chino Valley and Orange districts have enacted similar policies, further contributing to the fear that this may influence SGV school policies. 

This caused outrage from LGBTQ+ Advocates and community members. With the driving force of local youth that the SGV LGBTQ Center supported, the Glendora Unified board ultimately put the proposal on hold. As a way to combat future anti-LGBTQ+ school policies and give queer, trans, and gender nonconforming youth access to leadership opportunities,  This then led to the creation of what we hope to be the LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy Coalition.

The fortunate thing about the ACT grant is that it is not just a short-term project-based grant but a three-year support system designed with longevity. Camila Camaleon, President of the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ+ Center, emphasized the importance of this long-term vision: "There's an impact that one year of work can do, but when we think about long-term strategy and sustainability, I think this grant offers the opportunity to grow and deepen that impact." The ACT grant ensures that the LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy Coalition can take flight.

"This grant specifically is helping us envision and create action and advocacy for youth under 18 throughout the San Gabriel Valley," Camaleon explained. "Our youth-focused work has always been such a huge pillar of what we do, but because of the pandemic, that was one of the first areas we had to let go. Through this grant, we've been able to reinvigorate a vital piece of our community that has always been central to our mission."

A central component of our collaboration with the Center is leadership development. As Camila noted, "Rainbow Labs has such a unique perspective on leadership development. As someone who has gone through leadership programs my whole life, I understand how transformative these opportunities can be. If I hadn't gone through a program in the fifth grade, I wouldn't be where I am today." The work being developed through the ACT grant goes beyond immediate results. It's about creating opportunities for young people to grow into leaders in their own right and see their resilience as LGBTQIA+ individuals. "We're learning that, just like adults, students can't always commit for three years," Camaleon said. "But even if they come and go, they leave with skills and experiences that empower them to become the leaders they're meant to be."

Through the ACT grant and its three years of support, our programming at Rainbow Labs and the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ+ Center will continue revitalizing youth advocacy and ensuring that LGBTQ+ youth have the support they need to thrive.