Thank you for your interest in volunteering with OYA (and its affiliated groups)!
We love our volunteers and appreciate your interest in our organization.
Here's what we do at OYA: we provide a safe space where LGBTQ+ youth, ages 13 through 22, can be themselves and socialize with their peers in a judgment-free, supportive, conversational setting. We hold weekly in-person youth meetings and organize special events, outings, outreach opportunities and more.
We do not provide counseling services, but rather, we utilize co-facilitators for our weekly social support meetings, chaperones for outings and events, and volunteers to assist with planning, outreach, marketing, fund-raising, and general operational matters. Since we do invest ourselves in training our volunteers, we'd like them to stay with us for a while, beyond just short-term involvement, and we ask that they volunteer at least once per month.
Would you be interested in volunteering in any of these capacities?
If so, please fill out our volunteer application via the button on the right hand side of your screen. Volunteers must be at least 21 years old and a background check is required for any prospective volunteer. We do request that a $25 donation be made to OYA, via the website, to help defray the cost of the background check. Once the application is submitted and reviewed, we will set up some time with our volunteer coordinator and/or an OYA board member for an informal interview to get to know you better.
If you're interested but not yet ready to commit to the application, or have any other questions, please reach out to info@orlandoyouthalliance.org so we can start a conversation! :-)
The mission of the Orlando Youth Alliance and its chapters is to provide a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth in Central Florida.
The Orlando Youth Alliance has offered a weekly peer-to-peer support group for LGBTQ youth in Central Florida since 1990. Today, three weekly groups are offered: Orlando, Lakeland and Longwood. Monthly social, educational and recreational activities occur to further help our youth to develop a core group of friends and peer supporters. In addition to the support group and activities, OYA provides LGBT History & Cultural classes, scholarships, career exploration and mental health referrals. Numerous professionals have spoken to our youth about their careers and the options that await them. Developing this nucleus of friends is the key to never felling alone. Since LGBTQ youth are five times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual classmates, it is vital that we provide the services of OYA to our area youth.
The children are our future.
