Dear friends and supporters,
The past month has been quite a whirlwind for ALSO, in looking at where we have been, what worked, what didn’t, and where we are going. I will do my best to keep my comments succinct, as my thoughts and ideas are extensive and random. First let me say I am proud to be ALSO’s new Executive Director. I am a firm believer in the mission and vision of ALSO. My long term career goal is, quite simple: to help adolescents get in touch with their true potential and overcome the numerous internal and external barriers thrown up along the way. The teen age years are difficult and tenuous years. Teens are on the brink of adulthood, and are experiencing a new level of self-awareness, independence, and long term goal setting, not to mention all of the challenges involved with peer pressure, experimentation, and the numerous issues. The teens years are hard, no doubt, and tender formulative years as well. Having worked with troubled high school kids for the past five years, my philosophy was/ is to listen, respect, and find the positive attributes of every student I worked with, which I was often criticized for. Too often adults (and other teens) label teenagers as manipulative, lazy, or self-serving without even taking the time to get to know them. As we know, too frequently a teen is labeled by their clothes, hair, grades, and of course sexual orientation, to name a few. Once the label is out there, that’s all there is (in many peoples’ perceptions)
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a positive or negative label, the other components of that individual are overshadowed, and therein lies our challenge. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not negative qualities and compromise only a piece of who a person really is.
We are on the cusp of very positive change. Over the past few weeks, I have met with many people connected to ALSO. It’s been incredibly helpful of them to allow me to “interrogate” them about their respective perception(s) of ALSO on many different levels. Although the feedback has varied greatly, there is a common red thread.
We are needed and wanted in this community.
We have not yet reached our full potential
Yes, we have made some mistakes along the way, but the time is NOW to move on to become the forefront agency that we are capable of re-establishing. We have the capacity to build bridges, educate the community at large, and help kids deal with and ultimately embrace his or her sexuality.
ALSO is at a critical point in our history. We have to re-position ourselves in the community. We have to reach out to donors and friends. Mend old fences. Build new bridges. We must advocate and be the leader, ready and poised, to face or respond to issues that affect our mission.
ALSO Out Youth’s mission is to promote the health, safety, and personal growth of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning youth. We strive to end all forms of violence, harassment, and discrimination based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
It is our vision that all persons are able to fulfill their potential and live their lives with honesty and dignity, without having to pretend, lie, or hide due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
I was never a cheerleader nor do I ever aspire to become one. HOWEVER, I firmly believe we can do this. The GLBTQ youth need us and we must step up and do more. More advocacy, more leadership, more support, and more outreach. What can you do?
We need your support, simply put. We need your financial support, your morale support, your voice, your time, etc. If you have an idea, let me know.
Please help us help our youth. They need us.
On an entirely different note, I need to send out my sincerest gratitude to two people who have truly made this transition easier.
Stephen Warne has been amazing. His compassion, insight, and dedication to ALSO are so evident. We all owe him our thanks for running the agency single handedly for five months. He is a vital committed team player. I think Stephen is a tremendous asset to ALSO and that we make a happy productive, and compatible team.
Ed Town, former Chair of the Board of Directors has spent countless hours giving me ALSO’s history, the good, the bad, and the possible. I’ve learned so much, on a personal AND professional level from him. I appreciate his dedication and commitment to ALSO and he has been a terrific mentor, even though he didn’t sign up for that job!
It's great to be here and I look forward to meeting you!
Sue Westcott
