The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization founded in 1998 focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Through a toll-free telephone number, it operates The Trevor Lifeline, a confidential service that offers trained counselors. The stated goals of the project are to provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24, as well as to offer guidance and resources to parents and educators in order to foster safe, accepting, and inclusive environments for all youth, at home and at school.
Video The Trevor Project
History
The project was founded in 1998 in West Hollywood, California, by James Lecesne, Peggy Rajski, and Randy Stone. They are the creators of the 1994 Academy Award-winning short film Trevor, a dramedy about Trevor, a gay thirteen-year-old boy who, when rejected by friends because of his sexuality, makes an attempt to take his life. When the film was scheduled to air on HBO television in 1998, the filmmakers realized that some of the program's young viewers might be facing the same kind of crisis as Trevor, and began to search for a support line to be broadcast during the airing. They discovered that no such helpline existed, and decided to dedicate themselves to forming what was, in their view, a much-needed resource: an organization to promote acceptance of LGBTQ youth, and to aid in crisis and suicide prevention among that group.
The Trevor Lifeline was established with seed funds provided by The Colin Higgins Foundation and HBO's license fee. As a result, it became the first nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth. The project also provides online support to young people through the project's website, as well as guidance and resources to educators and parents.
In November 2009, the project was contracted by the Tulare County Suicide Prevention Task Force, located in Tulare County, California. With this agreement, the project received public funds for the first time. In June 2009, seven Tulare County volunteers completed The Trevor Project Lifeguard Workshop Facilitator training. Lifeguard workshops have been done in schools in Tulare County municipalities, including Dinuba, Lindsay, Porterville and Visalia, as well as in Hanford in adjacent Kings County.
The Trevor Project has been supported by various celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Shay Mitchell, Daniel Radcliffe, Neil Patrick Harris, James Marsden, Chris Colfer, Kim Kardashian, Darren Criss, Dianna Agron, George Takei, Anderson Cooper John Oliver and Tyler Oakley.
Maps The Trevor Project
Projects
The Trevor Lifeline
The Trevor Lifeline is the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth in the United States. The lifeline is a free and confidential service from trained counselors trained to listen without judging, and can refer callers to supportive local organizations and groups; this information is also available on the project's website.
On August 10, 2009, the project announced that it received a major cash donation to support the lifeline from actor Daniel Radcliffe, star of the Harry Potter film series. Radcliffe said in a statement:
"I am very pleased to begin my support of the Trevor Project, which saves lives every day through its critical work. It's extremely distressing to consider that in 2009 suicide is a top-three killer of young people, and it's truly devastating to learn that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers."
Ask Trevor
"Ask Trevor" is an online non-time-sensitive question-and-answer resource for young people with questions surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity.
TrevorChat
TrevorChat is a free, confidential, live and secure online messaging service provided by The Trevor Project.
TrevorSpace
TrevorSpace is an online social networking community for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 through 24, along with their friends and allies. Youth can create personal profiles, which are verified by the administrators before they are allowed to interact with other profiles, and connect with other young people internationally, as well as find resources within their communities. TrevorSpace is commonly used to receive or give advice and make friends who have shared similar experiences as the user. TrevorSpace is carefully monitored by administrators designated by the project to ensure all content is age-appropriate, youth-friendly and factual. Members over the age of 18 cannot privately message members under the age of 18. TrevorSpace links members to The Trevor Project's home page, where information about The Trevor Lifeline, "Dear Trevor," and other resources is available. The software used to create TrevorSpace was donated to the project by Tim Gill, an American software entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Palette Fund Internship Program
Through the Palette Fund Internship Program, the project provides for five internships in both its Los Angeles and New York City offices. Interns are placed among the program, communication, and development departments. The program provides an opportunity for young people to learn about working in the non-profit sector. Palette Fund internships are specifically designed to introduce young leaders to the LGBTQ movement.
Youth Advisory Council
The Youth Advisory Council serves as a liaison between youth nationwide and the project on issues surrounding suicide, sexuality and gender identity. The council submits recommendations to the project in an effort to increase project visibility and best serve the LGBTQ youth population.
School workshops
The project's Lifeguard Workshop Program uses a structured, age-appropriate curriculum to address topics around sexuality, gender identity, the impacts of language and behavior, and what it means for young people to feel different. The program also teaches young people to recognize depression and suicide amongst their peers, the impacts of language and behavior on LGBTQ youth, and suicide prevention skills in schools.
Tyler Oakley's fundraiser
On February 10, 2014, YouTube personality Tyler Oakley started a fundraiser to collect $150,000 for the Trevor Project. Oakley set the deadline for the money to be collected by the time of his birthday, March 22, but the goal was reached after only six days. Oakley later extended the fundraiser and more than $462,000 had been raised as of March 29. On March 31, the fundraiser ended, with a total of $525,754 raised.
Awards
The Trevor Project uses annual events to honor individuals and businesses that have been leaders in supporting LGBT rights and advocated against bullying and hate crimes. In 1998, it held the first Cracked Xmas fundraiser in Los Angeles. In 2001, a New York City-based annual event was added, using entertainers to raise financial resources for the organization. As of 2009, Cracked Xmas was the group's largest annual fundraiser.
- Trevor Hero Award
- 2005 - Tony Kushner
- 2006 - Michael Cunningham
- 2007 - Nathan Lane
- 2008 - Alan Cumming
- 2009 - Dustin Lance Black
- 2010 - Vanessa Williams and Daniel Radcliffe
- 2011 - Lady Gaga
- 2012 - Katy Perry
- 2013 - Cindy McCain & Jane Lynch
- 2014 - Robert Greenblatt & Arianna Huffington
- 2017 - Dan Reynolds
- Trevor Life Award
The Trevor Life Award honors a person who is an inspiration to LGBTQ youth. Recipients include:
- 2002 - Armistead Maupin
- 2003 - Rosie O'Donnell
- 2004 - Debra Messing, and Megan Mullally
- 2005 - Marc Cherry
- 2006 - Roseanne Barr
- 2007 - Ellen DeGeneres
- 2008 - Sigourney Weaver
- 2009 - Neil Patrick Harris
- 2010 - Kathy Griffin
- Trevor Hope Award
The Trevor Hope Award is presented to businesses that have demonstrated support for the LGBTQ community and "has increased the visibility and understanding of LGBT issues." It was first presented in 2004. Recipients include:
- 2004 - Wells Fargo
- 2005 - LPI Media
- 2006 - HBO
- 2007 - Clear Channel for its commitment to LGBTQ causes including "its ranking as a 'best place to work' for LGBTQ employees by the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index."
- 2008 - Lifetime
- 2009 - AT&T
- 2010 - Levi Strauss & Co.
- Trevor Commitment Award/Trevor 2020 Award
Awarded to businesses that support LGBT rights, started in 2007.
- 2007 - Bravo
- 2008 - MTV's The N (now called TeenNick)
- 2009 - CNN
- 2010 - Macy's
- 2011 - Google
- 2012 - MTV
- 2014 - Yahoo!
- Trevor Youth Innovator Award
Awarded to LGBTQ or straight people under the age of 25 who work to support, inspire, and empower LGBTQ youth. Recipients include:
- 2013 - Adam White
- 2014 - Tyler Oakley
- 2014 - Skylar Kergil
See also
- Athlete Ally
- List of LGBT-related organizations
References
External links
- Official website
- Trevor on IMDb, the 1994 short film that inspired the creation of The Trevor Project
Source of article : Wikipedia
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