June is nationally known as Pride Month. Parades, concerts, festivals, and other fun events take place all month around the country helping to celebrate Pride. During this month, individuals in the LGBTQ+ community are highlighted for the community’s impact on U.S. history. This month is a time when we celebrate the impact and contributions of LGBTQ+ people, reflect on the progress we’ve made toward creating inclusive and just communities, and work toward making moves to further support the community.
Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Utah is committed to creating and cultivating an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for everyone. Adults and youth who identify within the LGBTQ+ community are welcomed and celebrated at BBBSU and encouraged to become involved in our programs. Through volunteer opportunities in Utah with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, individuals can support Utah’s youth by participating in Pride Month events, becoming mentors, or donating.
What is Pride Month?
Since the Stonewall Riots in June of 1970, global acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community has come a long way. Despite significant progress, history serves as a reminder that there is still much progress to be made on behalf of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community within society. For this reason, Pride Month is a time to celebrate, yet remember what individuals within this community have been fighting for all these years. This month is a time to look within and contemplate how we can grow and learn from marginalized groups and individuals, and help to improve our communities to be more inclusive and accepting.
This month, several festivals, concerts, parades, and other festivities will occur around Utah to honor the community. With the whole month of June to celebrate, there are countless activities and events around Utah for those who want to get involved. The SLC Pride Festival, hosted by the Utah Pride Center, is Utah’s second-largest parade of the year. Every year, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Utah participates in the festival with a booth and marches with a group during the Pride Parade.
JEDI VALUES
At Big Brothers Big Sisters, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) are integral to our values and mission. We strive to create an atmosphere where all individuals feel respected and valued equally. Every person should have the chance to realize their full potential, regardless of their abilities, age, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ideology, national origin, race, sexual orientation, marital status, or veteran status.
At BBBSU, we recognize, affirm, and celebrate diverse backgrounds, lives, and experiences. However, simply saying we are dedicated to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is not enough. In recent years, Big Brothers and Big Sisters has taken steps to improve upon their support of LGBTQ+ youth. We have extended our reach to such identifying youths through partnership and involvement in community centers.
LGBTQ+ Youth Mentoring Enhancement Initiative
One of the most significant strides Big Brothers Big Sisters has taken toward these values is through a mentorship program specifically targeted to LQBTQ+ identifying youths. On a national level, Big Brothers Big Sisters began the Youth Mentoring Enhancement Initiative, launched in 2016. This program allows mentors to gain a better understanding of the difficulties that LGBTQ+ adolescents encounter and how to offer the appropriate support. The training teaches mentors how to provide a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ adolescents and their unique needs.
Within the program, LGBTQ+ adolescents and mentors would not only be accepted and tolerated within Big Brothers Big Sisters but also validated, understood, and celebrated. We are aware that LGBTQ+ youth are frequently without a strong support network and are particularly at a high risk of being bullied, depressed, and homeless. For this reason, the program was intended to help close the mentoring gap and change risk trajectories to better serve LGBTQ+ identifying youth.
How to Get Involved
If you wish to learn more or want to contribute to the LGBTQ+ community, there are many ways you can get involved. First, visit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah website to learn more about becoming a mentor and all the other volunteer opportunities in Utah that we offer. As a mentor, you have the opportunity to help a Little that may identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Our mentorship program will help you understand the unique needs of your Little so that you have the tools to develop an accepting environment for them to reach their full potential. Throughout the month, make sure to get out, visit and have fun at one of the numerous activities and events around Utah that celebrate and educate you on why Pride Month is so important.
