KICKSTARTER

ABOUT THE PROJECT:
We Are the Youth is a photographic journalism project chronicling the individual stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in the United States. Through photographic portraits and “as told to” interviews in the participants’ own voices, We Are the Youth captures the incredible diversity and uniqueness among the LGBT youth population. We want to make sure that when youth everywhere see these stories, they see bits of themselves and know they're not alone.

We Are the Youth was created by Brooklyn-based photographer Laurel Golio and journalist Diana Scholl. Since June 2010, We Are the Youth has profiled more than 50 young people across the United States. We Are the Youth profiles have been displayed at the Brooklyn Museum, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the Fresh Fruit Festival and the Gender Reel Festival, and have been featured in media including The British Journal of Photography, Change.org, and The Huffington Post.

The project can be viewed in its entirety on wearetheyouth.org

THE GOAL:
We Are the Youth is very much a labor of love. That means that no one gets paid and our family, friends and co-workers listen to us talk about the project over every holiday, lunch break, beach day and hang-out session. We’re not looking to make money, we’re just looking to expand the project and share as many unheard stories as possible.

$7,000 will allow us to broaden our reach and expand the diversity of those profiled. For the next stage of the project we want to travel to the Midwest, from Nebraska to Minnesota, to photograph and interview LGBT youth in our quest to share as many diverse stories as possible. And we need your help to do that! Every dollar raised will support our endeavors, and allow the project to grow to the Midwest and beyond!

Thanks sooooo much to Curtis Stiles, cameraman, director and video editor extraordinaire!