Queens Community House Hosts Career Panel for LGBTQ+ Youth

NEW YORK (April 2022) – On April 22, Queens Community House (QCH), one of the borough’s largest social service organizations, hosted an in-person career panel for LGBTQ youth at Grove 34 in Astoria.

It was the first in-person career panel hosted by Generation Q, QCH’s LGBTQ youth center, since before the pandemic.

This year's event had two panels: one focusing on public service and the other on careers in the arts. Panelists included City Council member Tiffany Caban, Lawyer/Musician Courtney Hargrove, LGBTQ/HIV Services Attorney Julian Castronovo, Artist Diana Teeter, Digital Video Editor Desi Sulca-Foote, and Educator Kade Jumper.

“Having this panel for queer teens is important for so many reasons, especially now,” said Teeter. “Kids can look beyond the scary headlines of what is happening today and see people finding success and joy in their lives and their careers as queer adults.”

During the panel, LGBTQ+ youth were able to hear from queer professionals about their jobs, career paths, and skills they used to succeed.

“It was great being able to speak directly with queer adults about the realities of working in different fields and working towards different career goals,” said James, a Generation Q youth participant. “Seeing successful queer adults helps the youth conceptualize the idea of a future.”

Generation Q Director Lindsey Duel said that the Queer Career Panel helps queer youth in Queens to see themselves and their experiences reflected in a variety of young professionals. “You could see the youths’ faces light up when they’d hear stories and experiences similar to their own,” said Duel. “The panelists shared their struggles as well, and the importance of advocacy around queer and trans visibility in the workplace.”

“It is so wonderful to have a safe space for teens to just be themselves and talk about their career aspirations without needing to hide a part of who they are,” said Teeter.

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Queens Community House (QCH) is a multi-service settlement house committed to serving the diverse neighborhoods of Queens. QCH serves more than 26,000 children, youth, adults, and older adults every year. Our mission is to provide individuals and families with the tools to enrich their lives and build healthy, inclusive communities. Through a broad network of programs operating out of 34 sites in 14 neighborhoods, we offer Queens residents a needed support system at every stage of life, helping them to develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills to change their lives for the better and become active participants in their larger community.

CONTACT: Thomas Cruz, Director of Communications, tcruz@qchnyc.org