25 Days of Pride

We’re so excited about Pride that we’ve decided to make it a month-long party. We recognize that this year’s theme – Strength in Solidarity – should extend to more than just the Pride Parade. So we’re going to launch our first crowdfunding campaign: 25 Days of Pride. We’ll be posting on social media every day from June 1 to June 25, leading up to our June 25 prize giveaway.

How to Participate!

First, find and follow us on social media. We’re on Instagram @freetobeyouthproject, and on Twitter at @YouthprojectUJC! We’ll be posting successes, updates, quotes from young people, calls to action, and more all Pride long, and you don’t want to miss any of them!

Next, let people know you’re a supporter of FYP! Share our rainbow torch – a beacon of hope in hard times – and let people know your reasons for supporting FYP and the wide community of queer youth who depend upon our services.

Then, donate! We provide life-sustaining services to queer youth for free. But we can’t do it without your help.

Want to know where your money goes?

• It costs $15 to get a passport photo at the post office, a critical step for those filing asylum applications
• It costs $36 to obtain the necessary copies of a name change court order after you’ve filed the petition
• It costs $65 to file a name change petition in NYC.
• It costs $95 to obtain a copy of your criminal history which includes all violations, desk appearance tickets, and any charges
• It costs $130 to obtain a new passport, a critical process that many of our clients undergo, because their passports were lost, stolen, or must be changed to reflect their preferred name/gender

Who We Are

Free to Be Youth Project provides high-quality free legal services to homeless youth, prioritizing the needs of LGBTQ+ youth. 25 Days of Pride is our way to highlight the work that we do, the youth we work with, and the importance of continuing to provide legal services to this vulnerable population.

Through our regular presence at legal clinic sites, we are able to stay in touch with young people who might otherwise be unreachable. Through our direct legal services, we provide advice, advocacy, and representation on legal issues for more than 200 homeless youth a year on access to shelter and public benefits, discrimination, name changes and document replacement, applications for legal immigration status, and assistance navigating the criminal justice system.

Our interventions challenge discrimination, abuse, and violence and directly reduce the barriers between our clients and food, shelter, income, and legal immigration status.