Alternative Break: San Francisco
Donation protected
The second week of March, over a dozen American University students will travel to San Francisco, California on an Alternative Spring Break trip. The program "Out of the Closet, Off of the Streets: Understanding Queer Homelessness in San Francisco" will be a weeklong trip to work with organizations providing services to homeless LGBT young people. The goal of this service trip is to learn about the services provided for queer youth in San Francisco, and bring those ideas back to Washington, DC to aid our local community.
Homelessness is a huge issue in the LGBT community, but services are not widely available for this demographic. According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, between 20 and 40 percent of America's 1.6 million youth are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. In addition, 1 in 4 teens are told to leave home the day they come out. While DC has progressive and inclusive laws on the books, we believe programs that provide for the basic human needs of LGBT youth are lacking. Among these basic needs are safe shelter, nutritious meals, and educational stimulation. With the inspiration of programs we visit in San Francisco, we hope to bring passion, energy, and ideas for change back to DC.
Our trip is student organized, run, and funded. It is our goal to raise $3,000 for this trip. This money will help send our group to San Francisco, fund service projects and provide honoraria for the organizations serving homeless queer youth. Any contribution you can donate will help make our trip a success, and contribute to the empowerment and assistance of our local LGBT homeless youth population.
This life altering experience, however, exceeds the personal budget of many on the trip. Thus, we are reaching out to you for financial assistance. The cost of the program, which includes food, travel, and lodging, is estimated to reach $1,000.
A donation of $20 will fund a day's worth of meals in San Francisco.
A donation of $50 will fund a portion of service at a local organization.
A donation of $100- $500 will fund a portion of my airline ticket.
A donation of any amount will help us reach our goal! Thank you for your support.
Organizer
Kathleen McKenna
Organizer
