YouthZone started in 1976 as a local diversion program for teens. Since then, it has blossomed to offer programming not only meant to set young people on the right track, but to empower any youth who walks through its doors. The nonprofit’s mission is to “provide comprehensive assessment and advocacy to inspire healthy relationships between youth, families and communities,” as stated on their website.
Typically, “We work with youth who have been referred by a separate party when that youth needs support or resources to help them through a situation,” Youth Advocate Travis Wilson told The Sopris Sun. “Think of YouthZone as the Panama Canal and the youth as precious cargo.”
Furthering its mission, YouthZone has started to host a safe space, known, fittingly, as The Space, for local LGBTQ+ teens to connect with each other.
The Space was founded in November 2020 by Rami El Gharib, a former restorative justice coordinator. El Gharib shared with the Aspen Daily News in 2021 that he came from Lebanon, “where it is illegal to be part of the LGBTQ+ community.” He continued, “Growing up and identifying as a gay man, it was important for me to have a safe space.”
“YouthZone launched The Space back in the summer of 2022 through a grant distributed by the Colorado Health Foundation,” said Wilson. “The purpose of the grant was to help create a third party space outside of school and a home where a youth in the LGBTQ+ community can come and have a place to interact and meet with other youth — and find support in facilitators, such as myself.”
The Space welcomes any 12 to 18 year olds from within the Roaring Fork School District as well as RE-2. The goal is to help the LGBTQ+ youth community feel safe, supported, welcomed and accepted by providing extra support when it might be needed.
Currently, The Space is hosted in Glenwood Springs every Tuesday from 4 to 5pm at the Colorado Mountain College campus behind City Market. Other spaces further up Valley and in the Colorado River Valley may be on the horizon, according to Wilson.
When young people come to The Space they may discuss relevant LGBTQ+ topics, how to handle situations where a youth might feel hurt or discriminated against and just be with others their age also navigating adolescence. Earlier this spring, Wilson reported that an average of six teens attend each week.
When asked why it is important to have a support group for LGBTQ+ teens, he replied, “LGBTQ+ youth inherently feel out of place and have a hard time meeting and connecting with other youth that are like them.”
He added that national politics, as of late, have played a role in marginalizing these young people, arguing that such spaces are very important to counter that digression.
“There is also a fear that many feel due to all the recent laws and bills being enacted in states that are not as accepting of LGBTQ+ youth,” Wilson stated. “This is why it is so important to create a safe space for these youth to be able to fully express who they are, and ask the questions they have.”
Wilson encouraged anyone who has a question — whether they are a young person or parent — to do so and to “be curious.”
“Continue to open your mind and learn what this community is about and what the youth within that community needs,” he stated.
In that vein, if you’re a parent of a child who identifies with
the LGBTQ+ community, YouthZone is welcoming inquiries about The Space and its benefits for these young people.
The Space helps teens feel comfortable and safe,
but also pro-
vides a venue to make friends,
who can often provide the best medicine – whether that be a shoulder to cry on or someone to laugh with.
The Space in Glenwood Springs will continue through the summer. For more information, visit www.youthzone.com or call 970-945-9300