Pride for Youth is a service and an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. Our mission is to enhance the health, wellness and cultural competency of LGBT young people through supportive services, education and youth development.
We believe that LGBT young people are courageous, bright, creative and exceptional youth that enhance our communities. Formidable barriers such as homophobia, stigma, lack of understanding and institutionalized bias prevent some of them from achieving their potential. Pride for Youth offers a matrix of opportunities and supports that assist LGBT youth with their healthy development, break through obstacles to their success, and create a more responsive community in which they can grow.
In 1993, Long Island Crisis Center started Pride for Youth at a time when support and outreach to LGBT youth on Long Island was virtually non-existent. Pride for Youth has grown to encompass multiple services addressing many of the needs of LGBT youth and their families.
- Pride for Youth created the Coffeehouse program in 1995 – the first suburban coffeehouse for LGBT youth in the country.
- We began airing public service announcements on MTV in the mid 90’s - one of the first mass media outreach strategies for LGBT youth nationwide.
- In 2001, Pride for Youth launched an action research project, which documented that 94% of Long Island students are exposed to homophobia in their schools and one in ten have been victimized because of their perceived sexual orientation.
- With the new millennium’s startling HIV resurgence among young gay and bisexual men of color, Pride for Youth led the way to building a healthier generation of young people through its culturally-sensitive Young Men’s Program, initiated in 2003
- Pride for Youth seeded and stewarded Gay-Straight Alliances in several high-need Nassau County school districts from 2004 through the present.
- In 2006, working with corporate partners such as CMP Media, Pride for Youth launched an employment mentoring program for LGBT youth.
- In 2009, transgender teens found their own place to share their specific concerns and build pride through Pride for Youth’s Trans Support Group.
Pride for Youth is a not-for-profit, 501c(3) organization, and we are extremely grateful to the government agencies, private foundations, corporations and individuals who make our vital work possible.
We cannot do this work alone and graciously accept donations of any size from persons who want to support our vision of a better world for the youngest generation of LGBT people. Please visit our Donations page for more information.
In 2010, Pride for Youth received financial contributions from the following government agencies, private foundations and corporations:
- New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute
- Paul Rapoport Foundation
- Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund of the Long Island Community Foundation
- New York State Office of Mental Health (made possible by Senator Craig Johnson)
- Nassau County Bar Association
- Accounts Retrievable System
- Orasure Technologies
- National Grid
- Long Island Ravens MC Fund
- Medford Chemists
Alumni Program
In early 2006, Pride for Youth established an Alumni Program to help former participants stay involved with the organization and maintain the network of friends they made while attending our programs. Many alumni are looking for ways to give back to the place that was a big part of their lives as teenagers. The Alumni Program provides the venue to contribute so that Pride for Youth remains an outstanding resource for LGBT youth for many years to come.
Here are some ways that alumni are contributing to Pride for Youth:
- Speaking at the Coffeehouse
- Soliciting donations from their employer
- Organizing fundraisers
- Serving on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board
- Volunteering to chaperone special events
- Making a donation of money or goods
Look for this page to expand as our Alumni Program grows. To get involved, contact Jill Estes, JEstes@longislandcrisiscenter.org., (516) 679-9000, ext. 124.
Pride for Youth collaborates with many local and national organizations that share a similar vision and purpose in order to augment our efforts. We have listed below links to some of our community partners along with other helpful websites that may be a resource for young people, family members, and/or adult allies.
Friends of PFY:
Resources:
BiasHELP Long Island
Long Island Association for AIDS Care
Gay & Lesbian Switchboard of Long Island
Planned Parenthood
Pride Alliance of Long Island
| By mail: |
Pride for Youth
2050 Bellmore Ave.
Bellmore, NY 11710 |
| By phone: |
(516) 679-9000 |
| By fax: |
(516) 679-3610 |
| By e-mail: |
See Staff Directory below |
Staff Directory
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Pete Carney - DIRECTOR
Pete supervises Pride for Youth’s day-to-day operations. He is the primary point of contact for our Counseling and Community Education programs and carries a caseload of individuals and families.
A New York State licensed master social worker, Pete has 13 years experience working in the field. He has worked with youth at a residential drug and alcohol treatment center and provided interventions to at risk youth in school and home settings. Prior to joining Pride for Youth in 2008, Pete spent six years working with Deaf-Blind adults and created and facilitated a ground-breaking LGBT support group for Deaf-Blind adults. Through this work experience Pete has developed skill in American Sign Language. Pete has provided training on various mental health/disability topics for other professionals throughout the country including service providers in Alabama, Washington and Texas. He is a graduate of Marywood University and Misericordia University School of Social work.
Contact Pete: PCarney@longislandcrisiscenter.org or 516-679-9000 ext. 125
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Tawni J. Engel - LGBT PROGRAM SUPERVISOR
Tawni coordinates Pride for Youth’s Friday night Coffeehouse, provides counseling to young people and their families, coordinates he Young Adult Support Group and provides direct supervision to volunteers and student interns.
Tawni has a B.A. in sociology from Hunter College. She is finishing up her Masters in Mental Health Counseling degree at CW Post/Long Island University. Tawni has been a lifelong ally of the LGBT community and came on board to PFY as an intern.
Contact Tawni: TEngel@longislandcrisiscenter.org or 516-679-9000, ext. 128
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Galo Cunto - SEXUAL HEALTH PROGRAM SUPERVISOR
Galo provides HIV education and counseling to young gay men in the community and oversees the Mpowerement program, which serves young gay and bisexual men, ages 17-24. He works at the Coffeehouse on Friday nights and is available to present Homophobia workshops in local middle schools and high schools. In addition he coordinates all HIV and STD screening that takes place at the agency.
Galo comes from an HIV education/prevention background. He is trained in HIV counseling and testing and has worked with LGBT men and women in New York City. Galo is bilingual (English/Spanish). He has a B.A. in psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Contact Galo: GCunto@longislandcrisiscenter.org or 516-679-9000, ext. 123
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Jill Estes - PROGRAM LEADER COORDINATOR
Jill supervises Pride for Youth’s Program Leader Program wherein she recruits and trains LGBT young people to educate their peers about HIV/AIDS, STD/STI, teenage pregnancy, homophobia and other issues. She oversees all aspects of the Program Leaders to include the maintenance of a youth run online blog as well as youth involvement in Pride for Youth’s Youth/Adult Consortium. She also provides Homophobia and Transphobia workshops in middle and high schools throughout Long Island. In addition, Jill is available for GSA support and workshops on how to be an effective LGBT ally.
A PFY alumna, Jill has been a strong LGBT advocate since her high school years and during her first year of employment at PFY had been the Community Educator presenting Understanding Homophobia and Transphobia workshops to over 2,000 students throughout Long Island.
Contact Jill: JEstes@longislandcrisiscenter.org or 516-679-9000, ext. 122
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Sade Dozier - PREVENTION SPECIALIST
Sade provides individual and group counseling support to LGBTQ students at Hempstead and Roosevelt High Schools. In addition she co-facilitates the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at both Hempstead and Uniondale High Schools. She works at the Coffeehouse on Friday Nights as well as provides Homophobia and Transphobia workshops in middle and high schools throughout Long Island.
Sade is a Pace graduate who has worked one-on-one in substance abuse, as well as working with urban college-bound youth. Her previous work in the LGBT community focused in domestic violence and community outreach. She is a certified crisis counselor through the NYC Anti Violence Project.
Contact Sade: SDozier@longislandcrisiscenter.org or 516-679-9000, ext. 124
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Christopher Reid - SENIOR PROGRAM LEADER
Chris works with the program leaders, is a core group member of the Mpowerment program and directs people to H.I.V. testing and STD screening at the coffeehouse on the second and third Friday of each month.
Chris began as a participant at Pride for Youth in 2007 and soon thereafter became a Peer Educator. Chris has conducted workshops at the Nassau County HIV Commission’s annual World AIDS Day conference (♥B.E.A.T.S.), the Nassau County Human Rights Commission’s annual conference and many school and agency settings. He is a student at Nassau Community College pursuing study in social work.
Contact Chris: CReid@longislandcrisiscenter.org or 516-679-9000, ext. 121
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Rebecca Harrington - PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Becca is in charge of managing the office, provides clerical support to the administrative staff and helps keep PFY’s programs and events running smoothly.
Becca began working at Pride for Youth as a Master's level intern and as the agency's van driver in August 2010. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Social Work at Fordham University and recently graduated with her Bachelors in Political Science and English from Adelphi University. She has proudly served the LGBT community throughout her college years, namely as the President of Adelphi’s LGBT student organization and as a summer intern for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 2008. Becca is firmly committed to promoting social justice and fighting against the oppression of all underserved communities.
Contact Becca: RHarrington@longislandcrisiscenter.org or 516-679-9000, ext. 120
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