May 2024
Youth Pride, Inc. (YPI) staff recently voted to be represented by a union, SEIU 1199. Since collective bargaining began, YPI management has been meeting regularly with SEIU 1199 to better understand our unionizing employees’ concerns as a precursor to negotiating a finalized collective bargaining agreement. It is the longstanding practice of YPI to maintain a fair and safe workplace, and to address all reasonable and appropriate concerns raised by staff. As such, YPI’s management and board of directors fully support staff members’ right to organize.
Throughout this process, YPI continues to focus on the youth that we serve, protecting both the organization’s mission and concerns of the YPI staff. Our new relationship with SEIU 1199 furthers our goal to maintain a fair and safe workplace and creates a new mechanism to discuss issues related to employment policies and practices. While the YPI Board of Directors has full confidence that YPI leadership has consistently maintained a safe workplace for all employees and youth who walk through our doors, we also welcome the opportunity to engage productively with SEIU 1199 exploring ways to build an even stronger organization in service of our youth.
Rush (Frazier) Nicotera is YPI’s seventh Executive Director. Since their tenure began in 2021, Rush has deepened YPI’s network of community and corporate partners to more than double. They have procured funding for direct services to youth while also expanding the organization’s staff from a five- to an eight-member team. They are YPI’s first Black, nonbinary trans Executive Director in the organization’s 31-year history. The YPI Board of Directors values their experience and leadership which reflects the broad spectrums of the youth that we serve.
Andy Taubman joined YPI in 2020 as our Director of Youth Services. In addition to leading the services team, they provide a wide range of front-line services directly. Under their supervision, our talented and committed services team work hard to meet the unique needs of our community’s LGBTQIA+ youth.
Thanks to Rush and Andy’s leadership and the hard work of all staff, YPI continues to provide high-quality programs and services to the youth of Rhode Island. YPI’s Board of Directors has unwavering trust and confidence in the YPI leadership and services team to uphold this level of quality and care for those we serve.
In 2023, our talented and committed team worked tirelessly to meet the unique needs of LGBTQIA+ youth. They provided over 560 hours of free mental health counseling and case management services, as well as distributed over 4,000 pounds of food, toiletries, gender-affirming clothes, and school supplies to LGBTQIA+ youth. Our team also disbursed almost $50,000 to youth for rent relief, security deposits, utility expenses, and life-saving supportive services through our Rapid Rehousing Program. We have a variety of free mental health supports in place—from counseling to one-on-one psychiatry and case management—which we are proud to offer as a small nonprofit organization.
Today, YPI offers a variety of social and support groups, such as Queer Gourmet (providing youth with foundational cooking skills) and The Way Out (an open space for youth ages 14-23 to connect with and learn from their peers while receiving support and guidance from staff); free mental health counseling and case management; a drop-in center that serves as a safe space for youth; a basic-needs pantry (with gender-affirming clothing, food, and toiletries available to all youth); a fully stocked kitchen providing a variety of healthy meal ingredients; a lending library; and housing support services.
It is our organization’s goal to partner with and learn from the Rhode Island community and our youth to continue to adapt services to best support their ever-changing needs.
Youth Pride, Inc. has not faltered from achieving our mission: to meet the needs of LGBTQIA+ youth. Our trusted staff members deliver high-quality services to any youth who enter our space. The Youth Pride, Inc. management team and board of directors are committed to supporting the well-being and rights of all staff members and volunteers. It is our greatest hope that we can continue working together to drive our organization’s mission forward and honor the youth who remain the center focus of all the work we do.
