OUT METROWEST INC
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Mission Statement
OUT MetroWest builds communities where LGBTQ+ youth thrive.
About This Cause
OUT MetroWest offers social, educational, and wellness programs for LGBTQ+ youth, totaling more than a dozen meetings per month. We offer programs for LGBTQ+ children and youth. Founded in 2011, Prism (formerly WAGLY) is a weekly program for all LGBTQ+ high school teens. Umbrella is our program for transgender and gender expansive high school youth. Founded in 2012, it meets twice per month. Nexus is the state's first program for LGBTQ+ and allied middle school youth. Founded in 2015, it meets weekly. We also host weekly drop-in sessions for all LGBTQ+ youth in grades 6-12. These sessions provide youth with adult mentorship, opportunities to socialize with peers, and access to homework and job/college application assistance. Shine is our programs for gender expansive children Pre-K to Grade 5 and Glow is our program for all LGBTQ+ kids Pre-K to Grade 5. Both of those programs meet monthly. OUT MetroWest programs are designed to both connect youth with one another and to positive adult LGBTQ+ role models. These programs are critically-needed, and, at times, life-saving. Recent surveys show that local LGBTQ+ adolescents are less likely than their straight and cisgender peers to exercise, almost three times as likely to smoke cigarettes, and almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide. Despite the fact that acceptance of the LGBTQ+ population has generally increased, the youth we serve continue to be at tremendous risk. To counter these risks, our programs allow youth to: • be themselves in a safe setting • participate in a variety of activities—from those that are purely social (such as crafts and board games) to educational presentations by paid presenters (about topics such as stress management, coming out, and healthy relationships) • receive mentorship from happy and productive LGBTQ+ adults, who serve as facilitators for our meetings • learn leadership skills (for those youth who have been chosen as Peer Leaders) • receive confidential HIV/STI testing • be part of a socioeconomically, racially, and religiously diverse community We serve more than 300 youth participants each year. In addition to our programs for adolescents, we also offer educational workshops for area organizations looking to be more welcome to and inclusive of LGBTQ+ folks. OUT MetroWest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.