OurSpace

OurSpace, a student group, is in collaboration with Penn's Netter Center for Community Partnerships and Penn’s LGBT Center to help solve the issue of the limited safe spaces for queer youth, the challenges of fostering inclusivity within Philadelphia schools, and the lack of queer-inclusive and comprehensive health education. OurSpace consists of the following core activities: OurSpace’s Sexual Health Education Program, Youth-led Participatory Action Research (YPAR) LGBTQ+ Mental Health Initiative, Menstrual Health Education Program, Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) development across Penn’s UACS sites, curricula development centered around the LGBTQ+ community, professional development, teach-ins, and after-school and summer programming. Each of these components of OurSpace works to create safe and educational spaces for queer youth to unapologetically be themselves while empowering them to be healthy. Throughout the academic year and summer, the organization hosts events and workshops on college access and career readiness, financial literacy, community building, health, gender and sexuality, and many other topics centered around the LGBTQ+ community to uplift and support queer youth and allies.