In a room sparking with creativity, crafting, karaoke, and new conversations, Pathways Hamilton’s Pride Party last June was all about creating an inclusive space where LGBTQ2+ students in the program not only felt welcomed but celebrated by their peers, adult mentors, and the broader Pathways community.
To celebrate Pride Month, the Pathways Hamilton team hosted an interactive array of activities, informed by youth voices. Leading up to the celebrations, students engaged in a planning session to brainstorm ideas for the party, and also participated in a Pride baking event to prepare cupcakes and flag-shaped cookies for their peers to decorate.
At the Pride Party, youth were able to proudly share their LGBTQ2+ identity flags by decorating pastries with a rainbow assortment of icing and creating button pins showcasing their flags and pronouns.
For Julianna and Emily, who are part of the Pathways Hamilton team of coaches that work with students daily one-on-one, it was a proud moment to see the sense of belonging fostered, as youth felt comfortable sharing their correct names and pronouns without hesitation, “There have been incidents even this year where students aren’t feeling super safe at school or have experienced bullying. Students can come to us coaches, but overall, there still aren’t many spaces that normalize pronoun conversations, and students are still shy. That’s why it’s so important to have LGBTQ2+-specific events as part of our program, so students know that Pathways always has a space where they can truly show who they are.”
To cap off the party, students collaborated on one big Pathways Pride Flag, inspired to make it their own and represent all of their unique identities. This flag now decorates the program space as a reminder for youth struggling to authentically express themselves that they have a community that accepts and cares about them. “Not every student feels ready to engage in this way yet, but just knowing of the existence of these events can mean something even if they don’t attend. They are still hearing us talk about it and seeing that welcoming spaces are available for them. Knowing that we support them hopefully creates a safer space where, one day, they do feel comfortable sharing that part of their identity.”