RPYA History

History

Named by a core group of early participants in a youth group sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Center of the Inland Empire (GLCIE), the Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance began as an informal Friday night social gathering and discussion group. A few months into the program, occasional field trips and presentations by invited guests were added into the core social and discussion format. Its sponsors soon observed that participants flourished and matured rapidly in the presence of peers and under the sheltering umbrella of leaders and successful role models.

Participants no longer felt isolated and alone, a common experience for GLBTQ&Q youngsters. The presence of successful, happy and well-adjusted adult role models clearly demonstrated hope for their future in defiance of social stigma and the negative stereotyping of the GLBTQ&Q community. What’s more, as the number of participants grew, so did their confidence and self-esteem. Young men and women who had been withdrawn and suicidal grew effervescent and joyful. It became clear that participants were abandoning self-destructive behaviors in favor of life-affirming choices.

In its first three years, the group grew from three regular participants to over 40 or 50 young people on any given Friday night. RPYA volunteers have made contact with hundreds of GLBTQ&Q youth drawn from all over the Inland Empire. This growth occurred without organized promotion, simply by word-of-mouth. The resources of the GLCIE, the physical space and the numbers and energies of volunteers, were taxed. The GLCIE’s youth program facilitators recognized the tremendous need their small program was demonstrating and began to seek help from the broader community to better address the needs of our children. Interested community members met together to become what is now our Community Advisory Council and created the Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, a California, Nonprofit Charitable Corporation.

Last year, the California Endowment granted funds to the RPYA to help us plan and create a sustainable future. The Community Advisory Council of the RPYA, our youth, our volunteers and various experts in a variety of fields worked with the Governing Board to co-create an organization dedicated to meeting the needs of our youth. The resulting strategic plan can be seen online here.

Now we are preparing to move into our new facility with the help of our Community Advisory Council, Ujima, and several other partner organizations. If you would like to learn more, please contact us at (909) 475-9392 or MoreInfo@rpya.org.

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