Participatory action research to address aging out of LGBTQ-supportive youth programs in Chicago

Abstract

LGBTQ-supportive youth programs provide access to critical resources and social support in identity-affirming environments. In Chicago, Illinois, an informal network of LGTBQ-supportive youth programs in the city’s white, middle-class, gay enclave, Boystown, draws predominately low-income youth of color from across the city who seek emergency shelter, housing, educational assistance, mental health counseling, space to build community with peers, and more. Upon their 25th birthday, however, these young people are abruptly “aged out” of LGBTQ-supportive youth programs, often with little preparation and few safety nets to support their transition into adulthood. Aging out has been examined in other service contexts (e.g., foster care); rarely, however, has it been examined among youth accessing LGBTQ-supportive programs. This article draws on applied thematic analysis of qualitative data from focus groups with young people ages 20-29 (n = 26) and interviews with service providers (n = 10) collected via youth participatory action research to examine how young people experience accessing and aging out of LGBTQ-supportive programs in Chicago. Findings highlight a lack of scaffolding for youth as they age out and extremely limited safe and affirming resources for LGBTQ adults. Recommendations are provided to better support young people in their transition out of LGBTQ-supportive youth services and into adulthood.

Keywords:

• Youth programs
• aging out
• qualitative methods
• participatory action research
• LGBT youth

Notes

1 Not all participants identified as LGBTQ, though all reported a history of accessing LGBTQ-supportive youth programming. Not all sexual and gender minority people necessarily identify as LGBTQ.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by University of Illinois at Chicago, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy.

Notes on contributors

Jennifer K. Felner

Jennifer K. Felner, PhD, MPH is a postdoctoral research fellow and core investigator at the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, and an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Public Health, at San Diego State University. In her research, Jennifer partners with youth and young adults to identify and address social and structural determinants of health inequities among young people. Jennifer has experience as a public health practitioner addressing child maltreatment via community- and clinically- based education and has been a long-time volunteer for youth- and adult- serving community-based organizations in Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, and San Diego, California.

Omar Dyette

Omar Dyette, BA is a movement artist and arts administrator currently serving as Community & Exhibition Officer of Reunion Chicago. Fusing dance, photography and writing in a collaborative practice, they seek to uncover some the sur/realities of life as a Black queer femme to create visions of freedom and power. Equipped with a bachelor’s in Art History from DePaul University, they combine a love of media and pop culture to create spaces and events for folx of color in the arts alongside organizations including Free Write Arts & Literacy and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Terry Dudley

Terry Dudley is a sexual and reproductive health outreach coordinator and certified HIV counseling trainer at Howard Brown Health in Chicago, Illinois. Terry is an experienced community activist and public health advocate who leverages his personal experience growing up on the Southside of Chicago to promote strength and resilience among queer folks of color across the city. Terry trains new HIV counselors and teaches public health outreach workers innovative ways to reach community and identify marginalized populations most at risk of coming in contact with HIV.

Amanda Farr

Amanda Farr, MPH is a research coordinator with the University of California San Diego’s Child and Adolescent Services Research Center. Her current work supports multiple ongoing research and evaluation studies utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods to improve the use of evidence based practices. Amanda received her MPH in health promotion from San Diego State University with a focus on participatory action research with youth to address LGBTQ inequities and promote resilience, and social and environmental determinants of health among young people experiencing homelessness in San Diego.

Stacey Horn

Stacey Horn, PhD is a Professor of Educational and Developmental Psychology and Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology, and an affiliate faculty member in Community Psychology and Prevention Research at University of Illinois at Chicago. Her current research focuses on issues of sexual prejudice and bias-motivated harassment among adolescents, adolescents’ reasoning about peer harassment, as well as LGBT students’ experiences in schools and communities. Stacey has served on the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, International Journal of Behavioral Development, and the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Youth, served as Chair of the Equity and Justice Committee for the Society for Research in Child Development, and is a past-chair of the Governing Board for the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance. She is a past recipient of the Wayne F. Placek Award from the American Psychological Foundation (2002), the Outstanding Dissertation Award from Division 7 (Developmental) from the American Psychological Association, and the Outstanding Youth Scholar award from the University of Maryland Alumni Association. Stacey is a former high school English teacher and has worked with young people for over 30 years.