Kelsey Stanton
COMM240
Dr. Schiess
Listening Organization (II)
April 17, 2014
The organization I have chosen is The Trevor Project. This organization began after an actor by the name of James Lecesne portrayed a character that was created as part of his prize­winning, one­man show titled “Word of Mouth.” Two producers by the names of Randy
Stone and Peggy Rajski felt like this story would make a wonderful short film, and the
Oscar­winning film eventually created a nationwide movement. After filming, Rajski realized that there was actually no genuine place for young people like the character of Trevor to go when they face similar challenges. In 1998 these producers launched The Trevor Lifeline; the first nationwide, non­profit organization that provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and inquiring youth.
Ever since then, so many young people (ages 13­24) have reached out and been positively affected by The Trevor Project’s face­to­face and online support. Other resources include:
TrevorChat, TrevorSpace, Ask Trevor, and Trevor Education Workshops.
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is determined by its mission to end all suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life­saving resources like I mentioned above, to create a completely supportive and safe haven for everyone. The ultimate vision of The Trevor Project is a future where opportunities and dreams for all youth are the same regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. All of the Board of Directors and staff of The Trevor Project focus its energies in areas of creating and providing effective quality services, ensure maximum outreach and visibility, and advocating for public policy that helps accomplish their mission. They also continuously work to improve existing and developing new skills to reach their audiences and to identify resources that help sustain and expand many programs. Some of the goals toward outreach and visibility include increasing visibility of The Trevor Project services to youth across
America, and using fundraiser events to increase media recognition. I believe that some of the
most