LGBTQ youth make a positive difference

Out Boulder County’s, or OBC, 2021 youth internship program will look a little different due to complications with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In previous years, the nonprofit would have already begun the interview process and meetings would start in mid-January.

This year, the internship is split into two groups of three, rather than one group of six brought in at once. The applications for the first group, which will focus on April’s Day of Silence and Night of Noise, opened on December 7th and interested LGBTQ youth have until January 15th to submit their forms.

The Day of Silence, a national student-led demonstration organized with help from the GSLEN, Gay, Straight & Lesbian Education Network, rallies students across the country. Per the GSLEN website, students “take a vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ people in schools.”

The Day of Silence started in the mid-90s with two college students and has expanded to hundreds of thousands of students. The Night of Noise is when LBGTQ activists can break the silence, so to speak. In years prior, the Night of Noise is both a celebration and continuation of the protest, with a march, dancing and performances. The Night of Noise in 2021 will be a virtual gathering, to promote the health and safety of the community as vaccines continue to roll out across the nation.

Out Boulder County’s Youth Coordinator, Jenna Howerton (she/her or they/them) explained in an email that several factors weighed into the changes for the internship structure this year. While the program would focus on both the Night of Noise and the LGBTQ Youth Dance and work concurrently, OBC leadership made the pragmatic choice to separate the two events.

“The reasons for changing the internship program this year include staffing capacities and the ability to focus more attention on a single group.” Howerton said.

The internship is a paid opportunity for any LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13 and 18. “We do not require any previous experience,” Howerton said. “In fact, we look for youth who have not held a similar position before, so as to give more youth the opportunity to learn these skills and contribute to our community.”

The intern team will have a chance to learn professional organization and communication skills, along with event planning, budget management, outreach and more. Although the Night of Noise event will be virtual, the team will still have the opportunity to learn the logistics of venue selection, planning a march, hiring performers and other related skills.

Qualities that the nonprofit looks for in their internship candidates are youth that want to make a positive difference within the LGBTQ community, willing to dedicate themselves to OBC’s mission to “educate, advocate and provide services, programs and support for Boulder County’s LGBTQ communities.”

Howerton and OBC leadership recognize that “many LGBTQ, and specifically trans, young people struggle to find a job due to discrimination and the barrier of having a different legal name on their legal documents or license than the name they go by.”

“We hope that giving LGBTQ youth the opportunity to work for an LGBTQ specific organization can help ease the worries that they may experience discrimination or be dead-named and/or be misgendered in their workplace.” she said. “We strive to offer a work experience for young people that creates a safe(r) space for them to explore themselves, build their talents and skills, and give back to their communities.”

OBC plans to have the three interns for the Night of Noise team hired by the end of January 2021, so that the team can work from February through the end of April. Though the timeline hasn’t been solidified for the second internship team, it will likely start around August of 2021.

The application for the program, as well as OBC’s other youth services, can be found on their website.