Page 19 - ALGBTIC News Magazine - Fall 2019

Interested in starting a group like Youth SAGA in your
community? Begin by considering your area’s culture
and climate, familiarize yourself with local resources
such as LGBTGEQIAP-friendly practitioners (e.g.,
medical doctors, counselors), and identify safe spaces
that may potentially serve as meeting spots. Safety and
confidentiality are important concerns when working
with youth, and particularly for youth who are marginal-
ized and potentially vulnerable. Because youth are not
always “out” to family members, public spaces that offer
private meeting rooms are ideal – e.g. coffee houses,
public libraries, or similar locations where youth could
gather organically.
Consider collaboration with allied school counselors, ad-
ministrators, and community stakeholders to help market
the group and share information about events.

One of the many benefits of volunteering time and
energy to a group like Youth SAGA is the heartwarming
feeling of watching youth validate each other. It is the
process of youth seeing each other for who they are and
in turn, being seen authentically. It is the moment when
a transgender young woman of color asks her fellow
group members what they see when they look at her…
and hearing them respond “a beautiful, strong wom-
an.” It is watching her beam with pride and glow with
recognition in response. These are the transformational
moments that we are honored and humbled to witness as
co-facilitators of Youth SAGA of Roanoke.

Questions? Contact Laura
at laurabfarmer@gmail.com
(left) and H at hsmith@
vt.edu (below) to learn more
about Youth SAGA of Roa-
noke on our Facebook page.