Youth Ambassadors for Queer History

Fall 2024-2025 | In-Person

Applications for our 2024-25 cohort open now.

Through Youth Ambassadors for Queer History, One Institute mentors a core group of high school student leaders from across Los Angeles County to become ambassadors for LGBTQ+ history in their communities. Programming includes LGBTQ+ history presentations; interactive workshops with scholars, activists, and artists; hands-on archival research in ONE Archives at the USC Libraries; and field trips to LGBTQ+ organizations in Los Angeles. The program activities guide each student to create a personal passion project that explores LGBTQ+ history. These projects are exhibited in a culminating celebration at One Gallery, West Hollywood, where local leaders and community members are invited to learn from the Youth Ambassadors. While developing academic skills, and affirming relationships with mentors and peers, our Youth Ambassadors also discover career paths in the LGBTQ+ humanities, social services, and advocacy.

The 2024-25 Youth Ambassadors for Queer History cohort will begin meeting on Saturday, September 21, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at One Gallery. All graduating seniors who complete the program will receive a $1,000 scholarship from our partners at the Uptown Gay & Lesbian Alliance (UGLA). First-year students, sophomores, and juniors will receive a $500 stipend upon completing the program, courtesy of UGLA and One Institute. Additional stipends may be provided for students with transportation challenges.

See a glimpse into our 2023-2024 cohort’s projects — covering topics ranging from male impersonation in early 20th-century American theater to lesbian publications in the 1960s and 1970s — by checking out this story from L.A. Blade. Check out our online exhibition you are here, featuring works from the 2019-2020 cohort of Youth Ambassadors.

Our virtual youth program, Youspeak Radio, launches in March 2024.

Our youth programs are led by Trevor Ladner, Director of Education Programs, a licensed California social studies teacher. Please direct all inquiries to Trevor at [email protected].

Thank you to our Youth Ambassadors for Queer History Program Founders, Rob Saltzman and Ed Pierce!

Rob and Ed have been strong supporters of LGBTQ organizations both locally and nationally. Rob and Ed met as students at Harvard Law School in the late 1970’s. They were together as a couple for 36 years from 1979 until Ed’s death in 2015 at age 63. Rob and Ed were legally married in California in 2008. Their lives together were focused on friends, family and children, combined with a lifelong passion for social justice and community service. In 2023, Rob joined One Institute’s Board of Directors. Read more about our Program Founders here.

This program is made possible through the generous support of Amazon, David Bohnett Foundation, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, and Uptown Gay & Lesbian Alliance. AMAZON and the AMAZON logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.