Naperville-Based Center Helping LGBTQ Teens Amid Coronavirus

NAPERVILLE, IL — When LGBTQ kids come out to their parents, friends and family they sometimes don't have the support they need. The Naperville-based Youth Outlook has been a sanctuary offering social services for many of these youths since 1998, and has remained a bastion amid the new coronavirus crisis by offering virtual meetings for LGBTQ teens across six counties.

Virtual Drop Centers

Youth Outlook Executive Director Nancy Mullen told Patch the non-profit's in-person weekly meetings, or Drop Centers, moved online during the coronavirus crisis and have been a way for teens to still connect with their peers during the pandemic. Mullen said the Drop Centers have "typically give upwards of 150 teens each week a place to feel safe, supported, and celebrated."

They added that the virtual Drop Centers, conducted via Zoom, have been helpful so “our kids aren’t cut off from their groups of friends.”

Still, some LGBTQ youth who go to the Drop Centers aren't able to attend virtual Drop Centers, Mullen said, so attendance has decreased. Mullen added, "In some of our Drop Centers, many kids are not yet out to their families so it might be [risky] for them to sit on a computer and talk to us and have their families find out in that manner."

Pride Flag Scavenger Hunt

Youth Outlook's services are especially in the spotlight during Pride month 2020, as many celebrations, parades and festivals have been postponed or canceled due to coronavirus, Mullen said. That's why they came up with the idea of a pride flag scavenger hunt, which also gives teens who aren't out to their families a way to have fun and celebrate pride.

The pride flag scavenger hunt will take place during an hour-long time slot on June 20. Participants are challenged to travel around Naperville and photograph as many pride flags as they can, along with a photograph of the day's newspaper.

Mullen said members of Naper Pride agreed to be official judges for the event, which will involve posting the pictures on Youth Outlook's social media pages.

There's even one subdivision in Naperville that hid and placed more than 700 pride flags to support the event.

“We don’t get to have a parade this year or any of our regular festivals, but we’re still going to have some pride, and we’re still going to have some rainbow flags," Mullen said.

Mullen said they are hoping to grow the flag scavenger hunt into a city-wide event next year.

Ways You Can Support Youth Outlook

Mullen said residents can support Youth Outlook by liking the non-profit's Facebook page and liking and sharing posts.

You can also donate funds via the Youth Outlook website.

Mullen said they are eager for the future. They said, "We’re looking forward for our chance to reopen. And just watching for the Governor's advice and the CDC on best practices of how this should work.”