Give Us The Floor

We provide 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and allies in distress with the peer-positive human connection that they are too often missing. We help 2SLGBTQIA+ youth deal with distress through inclusive, innovative and unique Peer Support Chats that provide constant contact and anonymity in a safe youth-only community, breaking the isolation and shame cycles they are experiencing. Trained youth facilitate the confidential groups and participants help each other with prevalent mental health and social issues such as depression, isolation, anxiety, identity, discrimination, bullying, relationships, domestic violence, and body image.

Within the Supportive Group Chats:

• Youth in distress from all backgrounds and geographies have 24/7 access to peer support in a safe, non-judgmental, and confidential environment.
• Members communicate anonymously as often as they wish via closed group chats - no one on one communication is possible
• They share daily life struggles, insights and accomplishments, encourage each other and provide non-judgmental feedback without fear of stigma, taboo or shame
• Groups are organized by age and primary discussion topic to keep the chats relevant and relatable
• Youth who need adult help are quickly identified and given resources to help them.

Research reveals that increased isolation is contributing to the rapid deterioration of mental health and wellbeing. It’s affecting youth way more than adults: Experiencing social isolation and loneliness [during adolescence/ childhood] increased the risk of depression up to 9 years later. *

Some important statistics:

• 50% of LGBTQ youth age 13-17 seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and 18% of them did attempt suicide:**
• LGBTQ youth of color reported higher rates than their white peers: 12% of white youth attempted suicide compared to 21% of Native / Indigenous youth, 20% of Middle ------- Eastern / Northern African youth, 19% of Black youth, 17% of multiracial youth, 16% of Latinx youth, and 12% of Asian / Pacific Islander youth**
• LGBTQ youth who had access to spaces that affirmed their sexual orientation and gender identity reported lower rates of attempting suicide **
• 60% of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health support in the past year were not able to access care, including nearly 3 in 5 transgender youth and more than 3 in 5 cisgender youth**

In 2022, 87% of Give Us The Floor participants reported suffering from anxiety, 74% from loneliness, 73% from depression, 54% from self-harm and 59% had suicidal thoughts.

After only 1 month in the program:

• 91% of the participants reported that the group chat had helped with their struggles
• 79% say they are not sure or sure they couldn’t have gotten the help from somewhere else
• 84% reported that the group chat had helped them feel less lonely
• 79% reported that the group chat had improved the way they feel about themselves
• 99% of the participants reported that they feel that their group is a safe place
• 92% reported that they feel comfortable sharing their personal challenges

You can learn more in our 2022 Impact Report https://giveusthefloor.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Give-Us-The-Floor-2022-Impact-Report.pdf

*Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19, Loades and colleagues
**National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2022 - The Trevor Project