The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Youth Well-Being Project has announced the 2017 class of HRC Youth Ambassadors: Weston Alexander, Roddy Biggs, Daniella Carter, Javier Cifuentes Monzón, Alex Cooper, Tyler Eilts, Adriana Ibanez, Jazz Jennings, Justin Jones, Brendan Jordan, Zachary Mallory, Lucas Segal, Paolo Veloso, Val Weisler and Tyler Yun.
As youth ambassadors, these LGBTQ advocates will represent the HRC Foundation, adding their voices and experiences to raise awareness about the most pressing concerns facing LGBTQ youth, and their programs that promote well-being for LGBTQ youth, writes Allison Turner on the HRC Blog. These programs include All Children, All Families; Welcoming Schools; Youth and Campus Engagement; as well as the HRC’s annual Time to THRIVE Conference in April.
Nine of the cohort will begin their first year as Youth Ambassadors: Biggs, Cooper, Cifuentes Monzón, Ibanez, Jones, Jordan, Mallory, Segal and Yune. Alexander, Carter, Eilts, Jennings, Veloso and Weisler were named Youth Ambassadors in 2016.
Now more than ever, LGBTQ youth are experiencing firsthand the deeply damaging fallout the November election has had on youth across the United States. Last month, an HRC survey found that 70 percent of respondents, ages 13-18, have witnessed bullying, hate messages or harassment since the 2016 presidential election, with racial bias the most common motive cited. More than a quarter of LGBTQ youth said they have been personally bullied or harassed since Election Day — compared to 14 percent of non-LGBTQ youth — with transgender young people most frequently targeted.
In one encouraging finding, despite widespread post-election fear and anxiety, young people said they are more committed than ever to supporting others who are targeted for discrimination and harassment. Fifty-seven percent said that since Election Day, they more frequently feel motivated to help people in their community. This class of HRC Youth Ambassadors is an inspiring reflection of this finding.
For more on HRC’s Time to THRIVE Conference, visit timetothrive.org
For more on the 2017 class of HRC Youth Ambassadors go here.
