On Saturday, February 4, 2012, Youth First Texas (YFT) will host a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Summit from 10:00am until 3:00pm at the YFT Youth Center in Dallas. The summit will present opportunities to network with other GSAs, learn new skills that will help interested students in starting and sustaining GSA clubs in their schools and create safer spaces in their communities and will include a workshop provided by the Texas GSA Network. As part of the Summit, YFT will be building a North Texas GSA Hub Directory that …

What happens in the daily life of a Youth First Texas volunteer or youth? You know, when they aren’t in the Big Room on Thursday or at Friday Night Dinner? Most of them have pretty ordinary lives. They go to work, have social lives, pursue their interests. And in the course of these daily lives, they often come across events or thoughts that are then shared with others at Youth First Texas. The following articles sample some of the experiences and thoughts of current volunteers and youth. Click the titles …

Do you believe in equality for all? Do you want to be part of a world record that will document your support for causes ranging from LGBT civil protections and education reform to environmental activism and health care reform?

International fashion photographer Matt Spencer is breaking the world record for the largest photo mosaic by traveling around the world to capture thousands of individual photos of people from all walks of life who are committed to human rights, civil liberties, and equality in our communities and around the world.
 
His project involves …

Help GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) inform education policymakers and the public about what’s really going on in our nation’s schools by completing the 2011 National School Climate Survey, GLSEN’s seventh national survey about the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth in school.
If you attended high school or middle school sometime during the last school year (2010-2011) and are at least 13 years old, tell us about your experiences in school.  (If you did not complete
the entire school year you can still participate in …

On Sunday, March 6th, 11 youth, accompanied by two volunteers, made their way down to Austin to participate in Lobby Day 2011. Their goal was to talk with as many legislators as possible about the anti-bullying bill called Asher’s Law and the Education Works bill, which promotes LGBT-inclusive sex education in schools. Three youth recorded their experiences, not only while “on the job,” but also while “out and about” in the city of Austin.
While the ride down to Austin was a little cramped for some, there was an overall feeling …