SMYRC honors and supports the power of LGBTQ youth to change the world.

SMYRC: the Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center

Posted Wed, 03/24/2010 - 15:22

Our Mission:

SMYRC honors and supports the power of LGBTQ youth to change the world.
(Autumn, 2010)

Our Vision:

SMYRC embodies a vision of generosity, community support & investment, abundance and intergenerational connection.
(Autumn, 2010)

Our History:

SMYRC was created in 1998 by two youth, Tre Sangrey and Britta Houser, who received a grant of $50,000 from the United Way in 1997. With the help of Phoenix Rising Foundation, (a local mental health non-profit), the youth Steering Committee secured a building to lease at 424 East Burnside, and we moved in December 1997. We renovated the space ourselves for several months, with the help of many youth, their parents, some volunteers and Joyful Freeman who was the youth program coordinator at Phoenix Rising. We officially opened our doors to LGBTQ youth at the end of April 1998, and had our grand opening party in May of 1998. We remained on Burnside until January 2001, when we moved into our bigger location at 2100 SE Belmont. SMYRC merged with Network Behavioral healthcare when Phoenix Rising was facing financial trouble in 2000/2001. Network merged with other organizations to become Cascadia Behavioral HealthCare Inc. in 2002. In 2009, SMYRC relocated to 3024 NE M.L. King, Jr., Blvd.

What we do now:

SMYRC provides a safe, supervised, harassment-free, and alcohol- and drug-free space for sexual & gender minority youth 23 and younger. Youth gather to participate in positive activities like art, music, community organizing, youth development, education, peer support, support groups, case management, counseling, and job readiness preparation.


Sometimes I sit and wonder where I would be without SMYRC and the people I met there.
Tara, SMYRC youth

SMYRC provides the only drop-in resource center for sexual & gender minority youth in Oregon. We also bring safe space and developmentally appropriate programming to other youth environments through our community education and outreach efforts. SMYRC programs align with key youth development benchmarks, like increasing academic success, reducing poverty and preventing juvenile crime. The support that youth find at SMYRC helps them stay in school, become leaders in their communities, and make empowered personal decisions.

Credible national research shows that sexual minority youth face high risk in many ways. Suicide is the leading cause of death among lesbian and gay adolescents. Without community support LGBTQQ youth are two times more likely to use alcohol, and three times more likely to use marijuana than their heterosexual peers; and they are eight times more likely to use crack/cocaine. Furthermore, LGBTQQ youth experience social and community isolation as a result of homophobia. On the other hand there is conclusive evidence that LGBTQQ youth are likely to thrive when participating in organized, adult supervised after school activities, meaning that they’re more likely to succeed in their education, and lead happy, healthy, contributing lives.

SMYRC honors and supports the power of LGBTQ youth to change the world.

 

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