HARDWICK – Hazen Union High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), known as the HUGS Club, has been awarded a $10,000 Changemakers grant from the It Gets Better Project to support a student-led initiative: a two-day regional queer youth dance and summit.The Hazen Union HUGS Club is a community-centered club focused on uniting queer-identified and -allied youth.
The grant will fund an event organized by and for Hazen students, designed to bring queer youth together from across the region to connect, build community and to encourage queer joy and resilience. The summit will feature a diverse range of programming, including workshops, trainings, guest speakers and experiences aimed at uplifting and empowering queer youth.
“Being a queer person in a small town is hard, and it’s even harder for queer youth who don’t always have a car, a good support system at home, or just a place where they can really be themselves,” said a HUGS Club youth leader who helped develop the project and assisted with the grant application process. “That’s why this project is so important: we want to give queer youth a place where they can learn more about themselves, meet other queer people from all around Vermont, and be in a space where they feel supported.”
The It Gets Better Project’s Changemakers grant program supports innovative, youth-led projects that create positive change for LGBTQ+ young people in their communities. Hazen’s HUGS Club was selected from a competitive pool of applicants nationwide for their vision of creating a safe, affirming space for regional queer youth to gather and thrive.
Details about the queer youth dance and summit, including dates and registration information, will be announced in coming weeks.
