Rainbow Alliance for Youth (RAY)
Please see below for a list of LGBT youth programs in Wisconsin.
The Rainbow Alliance for Youth (RAY) focuses on building capacity, nurturing leadership and strengthening collaborations to develop comprehensive programs addressing the needs of LGBT youth in Wisconsin and throughout the country. By integrating LGBT youth programs into mainstream community efforts around prevention, youth and social justice issues, RAY can focus on LGBT youth as leaders and resources to their community, maximizing their development and risk prevention as well as enhancing communities.
The purpose of the development of the Rainbow Alliance for Youth is to: address the isolation and invisibility of LGBT youth; provide education about social justice and community organizing; empower youth people as caring, contributing, productive and responsible citizens; advocate for sexual minority youth in schools, social service agencies, and communities; and support young people as activists and change agents in their community.
RAY member groups share perspectives of several key aspects of the work of developing LGBT youth in communities. First, they use an LGBT Youth Development Model. This model incorporates several innovative concepts and strategies as applied to a LGBT youth population. It holds that LGBT youth develop through planned and unplanned means and are subject to socially induced stressors that increase risk and challenge resiliency. It further proposes that youth are a community asset, so community failures in addressing the needs of LGBT youth constitute both a personal crisis for youth and families involved, and a public cost of lost potential and the consequences of risk behaviors.
RAY member groups all work to address seven program “pillars.” Based upon the Healthy Kids Resilience Assessment and other youth development literature, a system has been established that identifies seven pillars, or a framework, of the best programs for LGBT youth. These pillars consist of friends and relationships, group responsibility, engaging experiences for youth, safe space, prevention skill development, links to other community organizations, and a sustainable organizational structure. The discussion and application of program pillars to the ongoing work of each LGBT youth program or organization is the focus of the youth development specialist training.
If you are interested in learning more about the RAY Network, contact Mark O’Neil at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 414-390-0444.
RAY Groups (in alphabetical order by city)
GLBT Partnership – Appleton
Harmony Café
223 E College Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
Website: www.focol.org/harmonycafe
Contact: Jesse Heffernan
Phone: 920-734-2233
Fax: 920-882-4060
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Q2 – Eau Claire
ARCW
PO Box 11
Eau Claire, WI 54702
Phone: 715-836-7710
Fax: 715-836-9844
Toll Free: 800-750-2437
GLBT Partnership – Green Bay
Harmony Café
1660 W Mason St
Green Bay, WI 54303
Website: www.focol.org/harmonycafe
Contact: Deanna Tappy
Phone: 920-569-1593
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
GALAXY – La Crosse
LGBT Resource Center for the 7 Rivers Region
303 Pearl Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
Website: www.7riverslgbt.org/Galaxy.html
Contact: Rosanne St. Sauver
Phone: 608-784-0452
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Teens Like Us (TLU) – Madison
Youth Services of Southern WI - Briarpatch
1955 Atwood Ave
Madison, WI 53704
Website: www.youthsos.org/programs.jsp?id=45
Contact: Abra Bankendorf
Phone: 608-245-2550 x311
Fax: 608-245-2551
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
OutThere – Madison (18-24)
OutReach, Inc.
600 Williamson St
Madison, WI 53703
Website: www.outtheremadison.org
Contact: Josh Bartz
Phone: 608-255-8582
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Diverse & Resilient Youth – Milwaukee
2439 N Holton St
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Website: www.diverseandresilient.org
Contact: Mark O’Neil or Rachel Federlin
Phone: 414-390-0444
Fax: 414-390-9980
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Project Q – Milwaukee
Milwaukee LGBT Community Center
252 E Highland Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Website: www.projectqmke.org
Contact: Miranda Larocque or Darien Winston
Phone: 414-223-3220
Fax: 414-271-2161
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Outreach Youth Central – Central Wisconsin
ARCW
PO Box 26
Schofield, WI 54476
Contact: Michael Fink
Phone: 715-355-6867
Fax: 715-355-0640
Toll Free: 800-551-3311
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
