[News] [GA, USA] JustUs ATL marks one-year anniversary

[Stephanie Stevens]

The GA Voice, GA, USA


JustUs ATL marks one-year anniversary

Anniversary celebration May 25 at Rush Center

by Dyana Bagby

May 23, 2013 11:43


After being fired from a well-paying restaurant job, Lance Berlin, who
is transgender, was unsure what to do. Then he took a hike up Stone
Mountain with members of JustUs ATL
<http://www.thegavoice.com/news/atlanta-news/4514-new-generation-of-atlanta-lgbtq-youth-speaks-out>
.

“That’s when I decided to get involved with the community,” said
Berlin, 25, who believes he lost his job due to his gender identity.

Now working at a Midtown gay bar, Berlin has made organizing with
JustUs ATL a major part of his life. He feels the organization is
critical for all youth, especially for trans-identified youth like
himself.

---
MORE INFORMATION:

JustUs ATL one-year anniversary celebration

Saturday, May 25, 6 – 9 p.m.
The Phillip Rush Center
1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307

www.justusatl.org
---

JustUs ATL enabled him to meet other youth he could relate to and put
him on a path to ensure others will always have a place to go.

“I had so much despair after I got fired,” he said, explaining how
JustUs ATL gave him a much-needed outlet.

“We [queer young people] need all the help we can get. There are gay
bars, but if you are younger than 18, what do you do?” Berlin asked.

“There really is no outlet for LGBT youth. So it is important to
provide that outlet. We are a one-of-a-kind organization and one of
the most important in Atlanta,” he said.

Year-end goal to find own space

JustUs ATL celebrates its one-year anniversary
<https://www.facebook.com/events/362850457158403/> on Saturday, May
25, at the Rush Center, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is an all-ages
event and includes a dinner buffet. Alcoholic beverages will be
available for those 21 and up. There will also be speeches and
performances from youth and a meet-and-greet for teenagers.

JustUs ATL members will unveil their strategic plan at the celebration.

The plan includes a year-end goal of securing funding to afford their
own space, said organizer Chris Kontopidis.

The Atlanta chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence recently
awarded JustUs ATL a $2,000 grant. At a town hall meeting a year ago
<http://www.thegavoice.com/news/atlanta-news/4399-atlanta-youth-leaders-describe-ideas-for-new-lgbt-community-center>
, JustUs ATL founders said they wanted to buy a space for
approximately $42,000 with a $2,000 per month mortgage. They had hoped
to do so by September 2012.

No specific fundraising goal has been revealed yet. Konotipidis said
the group wants to secure enough to buy or even rent a space.

“We want to have a check-in center where youth can come and be safe
and comfortable that they don’t have now,” Berlin said.

Currently, JustUs ATL meets at donated space from Positive Impact’s
MISTER Center and at the Rush Center. Discussion groups are JustTeens
for those 13-17 and JustYouth for those ages 18-28. There is also the
popular TransIt! group for those who are transgender, gender
non-conforming and/or gender-questioning youth ages 13-28.

“Basically we want to discuss how we plan to expand,” Kontopidis said.
“We want to have a physical location.

“What’s already happening is we hold weekly groups and rotate topics,”
Kontopidis added. “We have a volunteer counselor who facilitates the
groups and offers group and one-on-one counseling. What we’d like to
offer is three sessions a week and also one-on-one drop-in hours three
times a week.”

JustUs ATL is expanding its mental health services and providing
internships and leadership training. The group also plans to offer
resources online and establish a hotline.

“I want to help make the city a better place for LGBTQ youth and give
them something I never had when I was younger,” Berlin said.


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