Youth Venture

I moved to Amherst, Massachusetts for my sophomore year of college, hoping to find a larger, more diverse student body than the one I had found at my first school. I lived on campus on a floor that was a safe-space for GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) students and held one of the only co-ed bathrooms on the entire campus. This was a relief (pun intended), especially during October of that fall, when I came out to my friends and peers as being transgender. Since that time, I have gone through the required amount of therapy to start weekly testosterone injections which will gradually change my body over the next several years. So, as you can imagine, at the age of 20, with mounting college loans and a $7300 surgery coming up in January, I've got a lot on my mind and a lot of work ahead of me. I have been lucky enough to be accepted warmly by my boss and co-workers at Ben and Jerry's, yet with the strong support I have there I am still reminded of all the job interviews which probably failed because I was a female-bodied person with strong qualifications who just happened to come to the interview in a dress shirt and khakis with a name like Caleb. Even in a very queer friendly environment of the Happy Valley (our nickname for the Pioneer Valley where the 5 sister colleges of UMass, Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, and Mount Holyoke exist), there are still a lot of misconceptions tied to identities of varying gender identities and sexualities. It is my goal to help quell rumors, build dialogues, answer questions, and hopefully tell a few jokes in the process. Because, as B&J say, "If it's not fun, why do it?"

• I want to start a venture but don’t know which problem in my community to solve
• I need help completing Youth Venture’s action plan

Animals, Arts and Culture, College/University, Community Beautification, Community Organizing, Cultural Awareness, Discrimination, Education, Employment, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer, HIV Prevention, Human Rights, Immigration, Media, Music, Peace and Non-Violence, Substance Abuse, Support for Young Women, Teen Pregnancy, Youth Empowerment