Will Belong encourage my youth to come back to or remain in the church*?

No. The organizers of Belong include religious and non-religious LGBTQIA+ people, Parents of LGBTQIA+ youth and more. We understand that policies, practices, and doctrines of some churches can be difficult, especially for LGBTQIA+ people. We also believe that pressuring youth to continue to be part of an organization that they do not want to be part of will increase animosity and cause them to have a stronger negative reaction if they have already separated or choose later to step away from the church. Our role is not to encourage participation in the church, we leave that work to local church organizations. Instead we want to create a space where youth can explore their spirituality and see how it can connect with their gender identity and orientation, regardless of where their religious path ends up.

Will Belong push my youth away from the church or religion?

No. One key aspect of good mental health is community and belonging. To actively separate a child from their faith would be detrimental to their social and mental health and be a form of spiritual abuse. Respecting individual autonomy and agency means allowing each person’s choice to worship in a way that feels right to them. The Belong Program is designed so that youth who are active in their faith communities can come away with tools to help them healthily continue engaging in the church and feel affirmed in their choices to be part of the church and youth who have chosen not to be a part of the church can see how their spirituality doesn’t need to conflict with their gender identity and orientation.

Then what’s the point of Belong?

We believe that spiritual health is important to youth’s overall wellbeing. When people have difficulties with a religious institution there is a risk of “throwing out the baby with the bath water.” We aim to teach generalized spiritual practices combined with practical techniques that can help youth navigate their spirituality, in or out of the church.

What kind of generalized spiritual practices?

Two of the techniques we taught the first year were “wisdom literature” and meditation. Wisdom literature involves drawing on ancient forms of scripture reading like “Lectio Divina” and “Florilegia.” Youth are taught to use these techniques with scripture or other forms of text to engage in a process of self-discovery as they engage deeply with the text. Engaging deeply and personally with texts is a practice that is equally helpful in a Sunday school class as it is in a personal reading practice.  Meditation is both a good practice for self-regulating and for exploring spirituality. By teaching multiple meditation techniques we allow the youth opportunities to explore new ways of connecting with themselves and with the divine. While some may incorporate this into a prayer practice as a way to seek inspiration from heavenly parents, others may use it as a way to ground themselves in their own values.

What kind of practical techniques?

Our presenters covered topics including “Building Strong Mental Health Habits,” “How to Communicate with Parents and Leaders,” and “Boundaries and Consent.” We’re delighted to hear that these are topics already being covered at home for most of these youth, but also understand that sometimes some outside reinforcement is beneficial to help the messages stick. All of our topics are made to be generalizable and useful regardless of your youth’s future path. For example, presenting on “Safe Relationship Habits” while specifically aimed at helping youth understand when relationships with friends, teachers, or leaders are becoming unhealthy or abusive, could later be applied to potential future romantic relationships as well.

Are you affiliated with or sponsored by one specific religion?

Belong is not affiliated in any way with any church or religion. Originally the program was started in Utah with a goal of helping youth who were brought up with a Latter-day Saint background, we realized that the need for a faith-affirming space for LGBTQIA+ youth was universal and have worked hard to make sure that programing is accessible to all.

What’s programming like? Is it all serious?

Many members of our team have worked with teens in various capacities and understand 8 hours of lectures per day is not something they’re particularly interested in. We aim to incorporate active games, crafting, large presentations, and small group discussions. Everyone’s learning style is different so we try to mix it up and keep the energy up. Additionally, social interactions are very helpful for youth, both in teaching them how to interact with peers (that they agree with and that they disagree with) in positive and healthy ways, and give realistic expectations for ways to build social connections at home (as opposed to believing narratives displayed on TV or social media). For more details please see our schedule page.

What accommodations are offered?

We will have meal options for any participant who is meat-free or vegan, as well as gluten-free. We will have a sensory room for any participants who might get overstimulated that will have noise-canceling headphones, a black-out tent, and calming activities. If you have any accommodation requests for your child please let us know at info@belongyoutconference.org and we’ll do our best to make sure they feel comfortable attending the conference.

What is in your purview? What will you cover and not cover?

As our topics are decided they will all be posted on the Schedule page. We want to cover topics related to spirituality and mental health. This will include things like coping techniques, identity formation, and relationship with God. There are many topics that would be relevant to LGBTQIA+ youth but are not part of our mission, like safe sex and safe dating practices. While we encourage parents to address these topics with their children, they are not going to be part of our program.

*Church is used throughout as an umbrella term as many of the youth who attend come from a christian background. The same principles apply to any other faith tradition. Belong is open to participants that identify as agnostic or atheist, Hindu or Jewish, Pagan or Wiccan, or any other faith. Lessons are structured in such a way as to allow all beliefs to feel welcome and supported.