Summary
Organization name
Inside Out Youth Services
other names
IOYS
1990
Category
Youth Development
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
223 N Wahsatch Ave Suite 101Colorado Springs, CO 80903
El Paso County, CO, US
Inside Out Youth Services
A nonprofit organization
$20,416 raised by 96 donors
100% complete
$7,000 Goal
Inside Out Youth Services is the only nonprofit organization serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning youth (LGBTQIA2+) in El Paso County - and we've proudly done it for over 30 years! Please make a contribution today to educate, advocate for, and empower LGBTQIA2+ youth.
Double your impact! All donations up to $7k will be matched by Cobalt! This is on top of the match that CO Gives is offering recurring donors, allowing for the opportunity to triple your impact.
Hear the Poem IOYS Youth Wrote about IOYS
Testimonials
"Inside Out helps me express thoughts and feelings I am unable to express at home or anywhere else." - L., Age 13
"So many people don't help us. We're turned away, treated badly and hurt because some people don't know how to react to who we are. It's vital to have a properly funded organized place to support and help all of us." -Charlie, IOYS Youth
Giving Activity
Mission
IOYS builds access, equity, and power with LGBTQIA2+ young people, through leadership, advocacy, community-building, education, and peer support.
Background Statement
When Regina Dipadova founded Inside Out in 1990, it was in the heyday of Focus on the Family and Colorado Springs' reputation as a city of hate. Dipadova recognized that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (LGBTQIA2+) youth in the Pikes Peak region are at highest risk in their peer group for various health-related problems, including drug and alcohol abuse, school drop-out, physical abuse, sexual abuse, homelessness, and suicide. To address the needs of the LGBTQIA2+ community Dipadova worked with the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment's (EPCDHE) McMaster Center for Drug and Alcohol Treatment to start the Inside Out Program for LGBTQIA2+ youth.
The program offered support and recreational activities for LGBTQIA2+ youth as well as counseling for drug and alcohol problems. In September 1995, the Board of Inside Out was formed and began to seek support for program expansion and an increase in services for LGBTQIA2+ youth as a 501(c)3 non-profit. In 1997 Inside Out Youth Services became a nonprofit and expanded their impact. Inside Out continues its work creating a safe space for LGBTQIA2+ youth and their allies, and promoting education and outreach into the El Paso County region.
Media gallery
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Organization Data
Colorado Springs, CO 80903