Youth's Lives Every Day
By Jaymes Black (they/she/he), CEO of The Trevor Project
I joined The Trevor Project 100 days ago as the organization’s CEO, and it has been an immense privilege to experience such a high level of engagement and dedication from our community. From staff, donors, and volunteers to partners, Board members, and supporters — our community is committed to ending the public health crisis of LGBTQ+ youth suicide.
I’m proud to lead an organization that takes a 360-degree approach to preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. Here are just some of The Trevor Project’s accomplishments that were guided by our previous Strategic Plan:
- We served more than 450,000 LGBTQ+ youth in 2024, compared to 150,000 in 2021
- We successfully launched 988 specialized services, which contributes to approximately 50% of our crisis contacts
- We launched 24/7 crisis services operations for LGBTQ+ Youth in Mexico
- Our Advocacy team helped defeat an average of 85% of anti-LGBTQ+ youth bills
- We conducted and released four national surveys on LGBTQ+ youth mental health to understand the latest suicide risk and protective factors
- We published 13 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 48 research briefs, and a 50 State Report on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people
- Our Public Training team delivered 416 premier trainings focused on LGBTQ+ identities and competency
- We educated newsrooms, business leaders, policymakers, and educators on the unique experiences of LGBTQ+ young people to reduce anti-LGBTQ+ stigma
- We give LGBTQ+ young people a safe place to build community on TrevorSpace, which added over 310,000 new LGBTQ+ youth from FY20 to FY24
I am energized by the accomplishments of our teams, and I know they are leading us towards a joyful future for all LGBTQ+ young people. But the public health crisis of LGBTQ+ youth suicide is urgent and complex, with many contributing factors. Achieving The Trevor Project’s mission — to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people — requires a comprehensive roadmap.
That’s why I’m proud to unveil The Trevor Project’s new Strategic Plan (also in Spanish), which keeps our mission at the nexus of our key programs, strategies, and initiatives, while ensuring our endeavors track back to the LGBTQ+ young people we’re here to support. It also underscores the direct connection between supporting The Trevor Project and saving young LGBTQ+ lives.
The plan comes at a critical time, following an evaluation of the pace of our growth, coupled with a comprehensive strategy to maintain the health and sustainability of our operations, business, and resources while continuing to deliver on our mission. Implementing evidence-based strategies for both our suicide prevention and crisis intervention programs enables us to decrease risk factors for suicide while positively impacting LGBTQ+ young people’s behavioral levels of influence.
The new Strategic Plan has already sharpened our teams’ thinking around the organization’s work, and I encourage you to read it closely to better understand the positive, life-saving impact we can have with your support.
We are immensely grateful to our volunteers, donors, strategic partners, staff, and Board members; they make it possible for The Trevor Project to bring this Strategic Plan to life. I look forward to working alongside them, and welcoming new supporters to The Trevor Project’s community, to create a world where all LGBTQ+ young people see a bright future for themselves.
Jaymes Black
(they/she/he)
CEO, The Trevor Project