Staff Update 2022
by Adrian Parra (They/He/She)
As seasons change, Youth OUTright is also moving through some transitions, and we want to take some time to celebrate where we’ve been and also welcome the growth and changes coming in our future!
A Farewell to Spike
It has been an absolute joy to work with Spike (she/they) to support and advocate for Queer and Trans youth in North Carolina. As an individual, Spike has taught me about spaciousness, play, and adaptability. In her work, she models compassion, softness and nuance to the young people in our community, while maintaining a sharp social justice lens that encourages young people to lean into their growth edge.
Spike activated crucial conversations in our community, in particular - Space: A Digital Place to Talk about Race, an intergenerational panel that discussed various Racial Justice issues. These panels can be found on our Instagram and we are working to build a video library on our website to further increase accessibility to this content! In addition to leading Space, Spike supported a team of trans youth in creating another panel series - TYME: Trans Youth Movement in Education.
TYME is a panel that focuses on Gender Justice and the needs and concerns of gender expansive young people. Spike’s mentorship has been crucial in supporting the TYME team in developing facilitation, digital media production, and volunteer coordination skills. This provided an opportunity for youth leaders to grow while also creating content for their peers to self-direct their own social justice education and unlearning, at their own pace, on their own time.
Building community and fostering healthy peer relationships in a global pandemic is no small feat. Youth OUTright is sad to see Spike leave the staff team, but we are so excited to see what comes next for them. Spike is moving on to pursue their creative passions, keep an eye out for what she does next! You might catch their future projects on the big screen or maybe on the dance floor!
While Spike is stepping away from a full-time staff role, we are thrilled to say that she will not be leaving the team entirely, and will be transitioning to a Board of Directors role! This continuity means so much to the whole team and will support our team in sustaining the incredible tone and foundation that Spike has set for youth programs.
Our community is lucky to have Spike here! Her impact will continue to ripple throughout this organization and I’m so excited to continue to watch her stir the pot in the best of ways.
Sending all the love and sparkles to you Spike!
Welcoming Beck
We won’t lie, Spike is a hard act to follow! However, we couldn’t be more confident in our new Youth Programs Director, Beck Martens (they/them)!
Beck has been a part of the organization for several years in different volunteer capacities, from facilitating youth groups to holding the board co-chair position, Beck has been supporting our mission long before joining the staff team! We’re honored to be able to pay them for the incredible work they do and the investments they make in the community of time, talent, and treasure.
They earned a bachelors in sociology and gender studies at UNCA where they co-founded Trans Student Union (TSU). TSU led them to a deep love for mutual aid projects, peer support, and direct action. Beck is a current member of Pansy Collective, a queer/trans DIY visual and performing art collective and reparations project, and believes that artistic expression is a crucial part of liberation.
Moving into this role Beck is excited to build off of the incredible social justice programming that Spike, and our Youth Fellows, Ash and Reagan, have been coordinating up until this point, as well as looking forward to expanding our Gender and Sexuality Club outreach. By being more present and more available to support our GSA club network we hope to build power across the youth community.
Looking Forward
Youth out there, we invite you to log on and join us at Galaxy Meetups every Tuesday & Thursday from 4-6 and Web Social, every Wednesday from 4-6pm! All on Discord, email beck.martens@youthoutright.org to get set up :)
As we move into Spring and Summer, keep an eye out for some occasional in person events! In particular, we’re hoping to revive Queer Prom and will be planning for a Stonewall Celebration Picnic in June!
The Youth OUTright team is looking forward to connecting with you!
Queerly forward,