United Methodist Women announced in July of 2019 that it has awarded two grants to organizations committed to the prevention of suicide among LGBTQ youth in the amount of $50,000 each. The two recipients are the Trevor Project and the Tyler Clementi Foundation. The Trevor Project provides support and intervention services for LGBTQ young people online, over the phone or via text. The Tyler Clementi Foundation provides suicide-prevention and intervention services along with tools to prevent and combat bullying of LGBTQ persons in schools, places of work and online.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention the third leading cause of death among persons between the ages of ten and twenty-four is suicide. Along with claiming 4,600 lives a year, suicide attempts by young people every year result in 157,000 injuries.
“When we witness a problem, our faith compels us to act. These grants are about supporting young people. Given that LGBTQ youth have an increased risk of being bullied in school and online, and since bullying increases the risk of depression and suicide among youth, we have a responsibility and the great honor of doing as much as we can to create environments that are safe and inclusive for LGBTQ youth, and to support organizations who are doing the same.” said President of the United Methodist Women Board of Directors Shannon Priddy.
Read the official press release here.