On October 14, the Give Us The Floor team joined Born This Way Foundation for How We Show Up for Each Other: The Power of Peer Support, a World Mental Health Day gathering supported by Cotton On Foundation. The afternoon brought people together to share stories, make new connections, and explore how we can strengthen peer support in our communities.
For us, it felt like being in a room full of people who already speak our language. The day opened with a poem performed by a group of students, and it set the tone for everything that followed. Before anyone talked about frameworks or research, we heard directly from youth about their own experiences in a creative way.
Next came a panel on meaningful youth co-design for peer support, featuring Jaden Brown, a youth mental health advocate with The Jed Foundation, and Lauren Fox, Digital Programs Manager at Jack.org. They talked about what it looks like when young people are real partners in building support rather than people whose thoughts and opinions are considered at the end.
The second panel focused on unlikely third spaces and mental health support, with Cue Pierre, Operations Manager at STOKED, and Milena Bracy of Cotton On Foundation. They explored how places like skate parks, stores, and community programs can become spaces of belonging, even when mental health isn’t the reason people walk in.
To close, Dr. Claudia Fernandez shared findings from Born This Way Foundation’s new research, Peer Support: A Pillar of Mental Health, and led an interactive workshop on strengthening peer support through the Be There Certificate. The research centers on how young people already lean on each other and for many young people, a peer is the first person they turn to.
The day also affirmed a few things that have guided Give Us The Floor from the beginning.
Young people belong at the design table from the very beginning. Support works best when it’s built with the people it’s meant for. That’s why our community has always been youth-led, with young people facilitating our groups and shaping the conversations they want to have.
Support doesn’t only live in clinics and on hotlines. It can grow anywhere people feel seen, whether that’s a skate park, a classroom, or a group chat, as long as it’s built with care and safety in mind. We’ve always seen GUTF as one of those third spaces. A safe, anonymous place where 2SLGBTQIA+ youth can show up for each other wherever they are.
Showing up for someone is a skill, not a talent. It doesn’t require having all the answers, only active listening, staying present, and knowing when to connect someone to more help. That idea is at the core of how we train our youth facilitators, and it’s what makes peer support on our app feel real.
Thank you to Born This Way Foundation, Cotton On Foundation, and everyone who shared their stories and energy. If you’re a young person looking for a space to be yourself, or you want to become a youth facilitator, Give Us The Floor is here for you. Download the app here.
