Film Star Heather Matarazzo to Celebrate PFY's 20th Anniversary!

This Friday is the 20th Anniversary of Pride for Youth!

 

This Friday Pride for Youth celebrates it's 20th Anniversary at The Crescent Beach Club in Bayville, Long Island!

Did you know that Pride for Youth was the first LGBTQ youth program on Long Island?

Did you know that Pride for Youth was the first suburban program for LGBTQ youth in the COUNTRY?!

We are so proud to celebrate 20 years of ground breaking achievements with Long Island LGBTQ youth that we are having a special fundraising celebration to recognize some of these achievements! We will also be honoring Faith Shepherd, a local lesbian youth and Transgender advocate, and we will be joined by Heather Matarazzo, out lesbian, Independent Spirit Award winner for film and Keynote speaker!

Even Newsday wanted to spread the word! Tickets available until 5pm Friday, Nov. 14th by calling 516-826-0244 or at http://pfy20th.karma411.com/ !

Fios TV highlights Pride for Youth & Cyberbullying!

Pride for Youth and Fios cable teamed up to bring you information on cyberbullying- something that affects millions of teens every day, all around the world.

Fios came to Pride for Youth to film a workshop on cyberbullying presented by Laura, our Community Education Specialist a from our parent agency Long Island Crisis Center! LICC offers free 24/7/365 crisis hotline at 516-679-1111 or www.licconline.org.

 Laura travels to local middle and high schools as well as colleges to educate young people about the dangers of cyberbullying and how to deal with it. Fios also profiled one of our young people who is transgender and has been the victim of cyberbullying. Push play to hear his story, check out our workshop and learn more!

If you are an educator looking to book one of our free workshops, you can give us a call as 516-679-9000 and ask for Meredith! We offer free workshops in cyberbullying, self-injury, homophobia, transphobia, working with LGBTQ youth, anger management and more!

And if you are being cyberbullied or just need someone to talk to you can call us 24/7/365 at 516-679-1111, chat us at www.licconline.org or text LICC to 839863 from 7-9 pm to talk to a counselor. Pride for Youth also offers free, confidential counseling to LGBTQ youth. Call 516-679-9000 for more information and check us out on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Three Little Girls Raise BIG Money for Pride for Youth!

Pride for Youth serves LGBTQ young people of all ages - and our services are free! So imagine our surprise when we received a HUGE donation from 3 young girls - sisters age 8, 10 and 12.

The granddaughters of one of our long-time supporters Sandy (who was also one of the founders of the Long Island Pride Parade!) fund raised over $350 for Pride for Youth! Proof that even the smallest of voices can be heard!

The girls took the PFY literature from their Grandmothers room and without telling her made a sign to fund raise for Pride for Youth! The sisters sold lemonade and goodies to make the money!

Thank you so much to all of you! Our young people made tons of 'Thank You' cards for the young girls that are in the mail with PFY t-shirts, bracelets and more! They made our day, so we wanted to make yours! 

If you or a group you belong to ever want to donate to Pride for Youth, you can do so here!

Pride for Youth Goes Back to School!

Have us come to your school!

Pride for Youth heads back to school, just like you! And we welcome our community educators, Bob & Devon! They are fun, entertaining and know a whole lot about homophobia & transphobia - and how YOU can stop it! And now, they are both coming to a school near YOU!

Did you know that last year, Pride for Youth taught workshops on homophobia & transphobia in over 35 Long Island middle, high-school and college classes?  In 2012 we taught over 6,000 Long Island young people about homophobia, how it plays out in their school & what they can do to stop it! We also taught young people about what it means to be transgender and how to stop transphobia. Our Community Education program sends Pride for Youth staff to local schools for all different classes, after-school clubs and school-wide events, such as Uniondale High School's 'Respect Day'. And the best part is - if you're a school, the workshop is FREE!

Myths and stereotypes about LGBTQ teenagers limit young people’s appreciation of diversity and can contribute to violence and harassment in school and community settings. Many young people (and adults) think they have little experience with LGBTQ people and don't know what they can do to help out - until they sit through our workshops!

Check out out list of workshops here and if you are an educator, GSA member or want to ensure that your school becomes a safer place for LGBTQ youth - call Pride for Youth today at 516-679-9000!

Nickelodeon set to film Coffeehouse on Friday, 9/6!

Hey everyone! We at PFY are BEYOND excited because a very famous television show on Nickelodeon is coming to Pride for Youth THIS FRIDAY, September 4th to film at Coffeehouse for something special!!!

So here is the deal and what YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Anyone can attend Friday nights Coffeehouse event this Friday:  'PFY Welcomes Japan' - a group of LGBTQ youth from Japan will be visiting us & want to hang with and talk to YOU!

****IF YOU WANT TO BE ON CAMERA HANGING AT PRIDE FOR YOUTH YOU MUST DO THE FOLLOWING****

-Bring a signed NICKELODEON CONSENT form to Coffeehouse on Friday. (*This is NOT THE SAME at the PFY consent!)

-If you are under 18 your parent/guardian MUST SIGN THE CONSENT

-If you are over 18, you can sign one yourself when you get here.


TO GET A NICKELODEON CONSENT FORM:

-print out the form attached (as photo) and bring it signed to PFY on Friday for Coffeehouse.

-pick up an already printed out form at Pride for Youth Mon-Friday 10-5

-visit our Facebook page and print a consent from there (www.facebook.com/prideforyouth.pfy)

-email MBarranco@longislandcrisiscenter.org and a consent form will be e-mailed to you

-Have your parent COME IN to the PFY lobby and sign the consent form prior to you checking in to coffeehouse.

****IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE ON CAMERA*****

-No one will be on camera that doesn't want to be and everyone's confidentiality will be respected. If you do not want to be on camera that night you will be given a necklace to wear. Anyone wearing a necklace will be blurred out when the show is edited.

-If you do not have a signed consent form you MUST ALSO WEAR A NECKLACE that we will give you, indicating you do not have parental consent and you will be blurred out in editing.

A staff member will be checking consents and ensuring people are wearing their necklaces.

For more information, or if your parents have questions please call Erin Furey at 516-679-9000 ext. 17.

Walk with PFY to Prevent LGBTQ Youth Suicide on Sept. 29th!

We walk because the suicide rate for LGBTQ Youth is 4 times the amount of their heterosexual counterparts...

Pride for Youth is doing their part to prevent LGBTQ youth suicide by walking (and working) at Long Island Crisis Center's Annual 'Let's Walk, Let's Talk' Suicide Awareness Walk on Sunday September 29th in Long Beach.

Pride for Youth is a project of Long Island Crisis Center, which was founded in 1971. Very early on, LICC was taking calls from LGBTQ Long Islanders leading us to start the areas first Gay Peer Counseling Hotline. Years later LICC opened the doors to Pride for Youth, Long Islands first LGBTQ youth center and the first suburban LGBTQ center in the country! Years later, LICC runs Pride for Youth, The Mpowerment Project and in 2012, LICC answered over 11,000 calls from Long Islanders in need.

Every year our youth Program Leaders work at the suicide awareness walk, helping teams find each other, encouraging walkers and helping out all the PFY and LICC staff! PFY staff work the walk as well and many alumni come back to walk as well!

If you'd like to form a team and walk in memory of someone you know, join someones team or if you would just like to donate to LICC visit our registration site here! We hope to see you on September 29th!

Showtime TV's The Real L Word invades Pride for Youth!

Pride for Youth is feeling especially excited these days! Recently, we've been lucky enough to form a relationship with Somer Bingham and her wife Donna - two stars of Showtime televisions hit 'The Real L Word'! Somer is a rockin' musician with her own band - Clinical Trials!

Somer and Donna came to Pride for Youth to speak with and perform for our youth recently! The young people had a blast meeting them - they were so inspired! Somer and Donna stayed all night chatting with our youth!

Somer and Donna also helped PFY out big time by appearing at our (adults only) fundraiser held this Spring at The Bunkhouse. We had an amazing Bachelor/Bachelorette auction, Somer performed, Miss Long Island Erika Blaze hosted with PFY Social Worker Erin and we raised several thousand dollars!

Keep checking our blog and Facebook page - we have so many exciting things planned for the fall - and you never know who may be stopping by our Friday night Coffeehouse program for LGBTQ youth!

PFY Hires New Youth Staff!

It's an exciting day today at Pride for Youth! Today starts orientation for our Program Leaders - an inspiring group of LGBTQ and Straight youth that we hire to work as peer educators!

For the next two weeks, our Program Leaders will be going through some intensive training on topics such as homophobia/transphobia, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, Suicide Prevention and more. Then, we will train the youth to go out into their communities and teach workshops themselves in local schools! The Program Leaders also work at our Friday night Coffeehouse program, that serves approximately 70 or so youth weekly! They will also work and rep Long Island Crisis Center and Pride for Youth at our annual Suicide Awareness Walk in Long Beach on Sept. 29th, at Equality & Justice Day 2014 in Albany and when PFY marches in the Long Island Pride Parade!

Last year our Program Leaders also went to Outward Bound, volunteers for Lady Gaga's Born Brave Bus and even were included in a photo shoot for the Empire State Pride Agenda! For more information on our Program Leaders or to find out how you can apply for next year, contact Jill at jestes@longislandcrisiscenter.org or check us out on Facebook!

PFY Prom 2013 - Fantasy Prom!

Just a week or so ago we held our annual prom for LGBTQ youth at Pride for Youth! Our participants all nominated themes for the prom and 'Fantasy Prom' was the winner! Our Gay Youth Planning Committee (GYPC) decorated with ivy, leaves, butterflies and of course, glitter thanks to a generous donation made by one of our volunteers! GYPC also had some amazing fantasy cupcakes from Nancy the Cupcake Lady in Bellmore! We crowned a Prom King, Prom Queen, Prom Prince and Knight and even had a beautiful prom photo backdrop! Our participants danced the night away, knowing they could dance with whomever they pleased and not be judged. It was a great night where we celebrated LGBTQ youth for who they are! To find out more information on PFY or donate to Pride for Youth or our Friday night Coffeehouse program, click here!