Inside Out Youth Services holds open house for Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ teens

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Inside Out Youth Services hosted the Pikes Peak Safe at Schools Coalition's Open House Wednesday, open to parents, students, and educators.

The LGBTQ+ youth support group said their goal is to meet with both Safe at Schools veterans and those interested in their program to advocate for LGBTQ+ young people in the Pikes Peak region.

Safe at Schools coordinator Darolyn Stewart said the coalition is vital to the health and safety of young students in school.

"Really it's simple it's suicide prevention and it's violence prevention. We are creating safe spaces for our young people by making people more informed by making people more aware of how to be inclusive and use inclusive language," Stewart told KRDO.

IOYS asked attendees to register in advance and said that masks are required.

A staggering statistic, IOYS said that 91% LGBTQ+ youth report experiencing bias-based bullying or harassment. Stewart emphasized the goal of the coalition is to reduce that number by educating everyone on how to respect and include all gender identities and sexual orientations.

For more information on the programs and support Inside Out Youth Services offers you can visit their website here.