Supporting & Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders

SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) supports and empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in the Washington, DC, metropolitan region. Through youth leadership, SMYAL creates opportunities for LGBTQ youth to build self-confidence, develop critical life skills, and engage their peers and community through service and advocacy. Committed to social change, SMYAL builds, sustains, and advocates for programs, policies, and services that LGBTQ youth need as they grow into adulthood. In addition to working in schools and communities across the DMV, SMYAL's comprehensive Youth Housing Program for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness provides safe and stable shelter, food, case management services, crisis intervention, and community support for its residents.