To All of Our Incredible Odyssey Supporters, 

 

Thank you for being a part of Odyssey Youth Movement. Over the last three decades, Odyssey has worked alongside community members like you to promote equity for LGBTQ+ youth throughout the Inland Northwest. As the new year approaches, we invite you to renew your investment in Odyssey programs and resources that directly impact the lives of our local LGBTQ+ young people.

 

Over the last year, we’ve seen continued record-breaking attendance levels in the drop-in center and at community events like our annual Youth Queer Prom and Pride in Perry. This past summer, Odyssey grew our staff team to include an additional paid drop-in facilitator, increasing our drop-in team’s capacity. The drop-in team facilitates regular programs on a variety of crucial youth-focused topics such as healthy relationships, stress management, LGBTQ+ history and culture, work and school readiness, and so much more! Your support today ensures that these essential programs and community building opportunities in the drop-in center can continue for all youth participants.  

 

Student and educator outreach continues to grow as Odyssey’s Inclusive Schools Program works to support over 60 schools throughout the Inland Northwest. The Inclusive Schools Program offers support to student-led Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) in schools throughout the region by providing educational resources, in-kind donations, leadership support, and microgrants offered via the Odyssey GSA Fund. Odyssey also works to support staff and students in schools with non-affirming climates to ensure that our trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive students have the same access to academic, social, and extracurricular activities as their peers. Now more than ever is the time for supporters of LGBTQ+ students to step up and find ways to give back; your donations help support this essential work to ensure the safety and well-being of local LGBTQ+ students.

 

As 2025 approaches, Spokane’s LGBTQ+ youth need your support. Your donation uplifts youth like Ayden, who attended Odyssey for the first time in November looking for community and connection while on a tour with their mom; students such as Taylor, who leads their school’s GSA with weekly support meetings and is creating big plans for the Pride parade this summer; and young adults such as Sean, a regular attendee at our Thursday evening Young Adult Drop-In who has been working with Odyssey staff to find a supportive therapist and access gender-affirming care. You can support these youth and their peers by donating securely online using the form on this page (odysseyyouth.org/donate)

 

Please consider investing today. We’re glad to have you as a part of this movement as we continue to work together to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in the Inland Northwest, ensuring they have what they need not just to survive, but to thrive!