True Colors Inc. Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services of Connecticut

We accomplish our mission by: Providing a full range of workshops, consultation and training programs for agencies, clinicians, schools and organizations; Organizing the largest LGBT youth issues conference in the country; Offering CT's only LGBT mentoring program; Organizing youth leadership development summits; Providing support programming for LGBT parents and their children; and Conducting advocacy work with legislators, policy makers, and others.

True Colors works to create a world where youth, adults and families of all sexual orientations and gender identities are valued and affirmed. We challenge all forms of oppression through education, training, advocacy, youth leadership development, mentoring and direct services to youth and those responsible for their well-being. True Colors began in 1994 as a field work project for our current Executive Director. It quickly grew from a one time event to an annual conference to an agency with a full range of programs, five full time staff and a continually growing demand for our services. We provide CT's only LGBT mentoring program (with more than 80 youth and an ongoing demand for caring adults!) We recruit foster parents for youth of all orientations and genders (and have found homes for many youth who would otherwise be couch surfing or worse). We train more than 2,400 youth serving professionals a year (with award winning curricula which we created!). We organize the largest sexual and gender minority youth issues conference in the country, train hundreds of youth per year to advocate for themselves and intervene on their behalf with schools, family members, and child welfare programs.