3 Things Youth want Adults to Know: Presenting at USC
In Fall of 2025, I was accepted to present at a healthcare conference at USC called DESCIPHER: Healthcare Delivery Science: Innovation and Partnerships for Health and Research (DESCIPHER) Symposium. In that room of hospital administrators, medical practitioners, academic researchers, public health leaders, and even patients, I not only got to present all of the life-changing stuff Give Us The Floor is doing for Queer & Trans youth -- I also got to share an important message from the youth in our community.
If you don’t want to watch the video above, here is (roughly) what I shared:
I probably don't have to tell anyone here that Queer and Trans youth are living through a rough time right now.
According to a youth survey conducted by The Trevor Project last year, 39% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in 2024; that number jumps to 46% for Trans and Nonbinary youth. Nearly 50%.
Meanwhile, hotlines and funding for suicide prevention and gender affirming caregivers continue to cut back and shut down with defunding efforts -- and for patients, even when they have resources, it can feel dangerous to access care. The time we are in demands that we get creative in how we support their wellbeing.
Give Us The Floor offers safe and anonymous support for Queer & Trans youth (and allies) ages 13 to 24 through our proprietary, closed platform mobile app.
The app is free, serves youth nationwide (including US territories, shoutout Puerto Rico), and involves no insurance or medical records. It's not a replacement for therapy or clinical care, but for our youth, it provides a lifeline to break the isolation and find community when they need support the most.
And the need for supportive community and is greater than ever. Our youth-led, anonymized community has served over 16,000 youth since launch in 2015.*
*In the month when I presented at this event, we saw over 750 sign-ups in a matter of weeks!
When we sent out a survey asking what they want and need from adults right now, the messages from youth in our community came down to three common things:
1. Listen. Really listen. As adults, we may think we already know how the story ends. We need to make space for them to talk it through anyway. We're also not always right. Listening helps us learn, too.
2. Tell them we love them. Not just in a vague "you are loved" sense. But that we love them personally. A simple request that doesn't get fulfilled enough.
3. Educate ourselves. Nobody gets to adulthood having already learned everything we'll ever need to know. That goes for Queer adults, too. I know countless stories in our community of older generation folks being illuminated by fresh perspectives from younger folks. We stand to learn a lot by opening our minds to new understandings of the world.
None of these asks are mighty, but in a world of so much conflict, it can be easy to lose sign of what really matters.
We are always seeking partners in advancing our mission to create a more inclusive, kind, and supportive world. If that's you, please visit our Volunteer page for a rundown of opportunities to support and uplift our mission to create a thriving future for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.
— Kat Eves
COO, Give Us The Floor
