Youth Voices

As part of It Gets Better’s mission is to uplift, empower, and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe, we equip LGBTQ+ youth with the skills to embrace and pursue their greatest potential by nurturing their confidence and providing critical resources to better navigate the world. We ensure that LGBTQ+ youth know and believe there is a future out there for them – and that their options are limitless.

This is the core focus of Youth Voices, a competitive 5-month program with unique skill-building workshops, professional development, distinguished opportunities, and a culminating project for LGBTQ+ youth to offer their unique stories and words of advice to other LGBTQ+ youth around the globe and create an impact they are proud of.

Since its inception in 2020, we have had 38 trailblazers from across the U.S. participate in this year-long leadership development program.

Our Youth Voices have accomplished many incredible and inspiring feats.

• Nominated for prestigious awards such as The Advocate’s Thriving Under Thirty and GLAAD’s 20 Under 20.
• Leading workshops to audiences of educators from across the country at SXSW EDU in 2022, 2023, and 2025.
• Speaking on panels and at conferences including It Gets Better’s Español Summit, Time to Thrive: Deep South, Teach for America, New York Pride’s Human Rights Conference, and ILGA World Pride.
• Interviews with countless news outlets, podcasts, and more, including Seventeen, Freeform, Teen Vogue, and USA Today.
• Conversations with celebrities and iconic LGBTQ+ activists like Zaya Wade and Amy Schneider, Blair Imani, Jojo Siwa, and X Ari.
• Taking part in impactful social media campaigns like AAPI&, Black&, Hispanic&, Jewish and LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ History Month, and Transgender Day of Visibility.
• Creating countless collaborative, digital zines and curating It Gets Better’s first book by and for LGBTQ+ youth, Queerbook
• Creating the first Youth Voice Alumni integrated project, Trans Youth Deserve Better and the first TikToks videos conceptualized, created, and edited by Youth Voices for Trans Awareness Week.

And this is just some of what these amazing young people have been able to accomplish with our support. To explore more of the incredible opportunities our Youth Voices have been involved in, check out the blogs for 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2022.

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Applications for It Gets Better’s Youth Voices – Fall/Winter 2026 Cohort is OPEN NOW! We encourage all LGBTQ+ youth ages 14-18 (in high school) located in the U.S. to apply. We especially want to extend an invitation to trans and gender nonconforming youth; bilingual Spanish/English-speaking youth; youth with disabilities; and Black, Indigenous, and other youth of color. Your experiences and your voices matter and are welcome at this table. You may preview the full application by clicking this link.

Apply HERE by June 21, 2026.

Youth Voices commit to:

• 5 Months of Participation (August-December or February-June)
• Weekly Meetings (Wednesdays, 4:30p – 5:30p PT / 7:30-8:30p ET)
• Participate in It Gets Better’s impactful storytelling efforts – through spoken activism, written activism, social media activism, and art-ivism – across our social media channels, in email newsletters, during key efforts like Pride and LGBTQ+ History Month, and so much more.
• Creating, organizing, and delivering a unique Culminating Project that showcases the skills they’ve learned during the program
• Seasonal Fundraising and Advocacy Campaigns
• Develop experiences, skills, and relationships that will shape your development as future leaders of the LGBTQ+ movement and as powerful advocates for social justice.
• Contribute to strategic planning efforts that help craft future It Gets Better EDU and other organizational programming that directly engage and involve LGBTQ+ youth.
• Timely Communication
• Additional Support

Youth Voices receive: 

• A $500 stipend
• A media kit (based on individual tech needs)
• In-depth youth leadership and digital literacy training
• Access to It Gets Better’s platform, network, and resources for powerful storytelling initiatives
• 1:1 mentorship with LGBTQ+ youth-serving professionals
• Special opportunities to work with brand and community partners 
• Connection to professional references and speakers
• Intentional peer relationships with LGBTQ+ leaders across the U.S.
• A certificate of completion
• Ongoing endorsement and recommendation opportunities.