Summary
Organization name
Inside Out Youth Services
other names
IOYS
1990
Category
Youth Development
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
516 W Colorado AveColorado Springs, CO 80905
El Paso County, CO, US
Inside Out Youth Services
A nonprofit organization
$600 raised by 7 donors
9% complete
$7,000 Goal
At Inside Out Youth Services, we empower LGBTQIA2+ youth in El Paso County by providing safe spaces, critical resources, and life-changing programs. Every day, young people walk through our doors seeking community, support, and belonging—things that are often missing in their lives. With your help, we can continue to offer vital services such as mental health support, leadership development, and advocacy training. By donating via the Colorado Gives platform, you help ensure that LGBTQIA2+ youth have the opportunity to thrive in a world that too often leaves them behind. Your generosity directly impacts their futures—thank you for making a difference!
Hear the Poem IOYS Youth Wrote about IOYS
Testimonials
"Inside Out helps me express thoughts and feelings I am unable to express at home or anywhere else." - L., Age 13
"So many people don't help us. We're turned away, treated badly and hurt because some people don't know how to react to who we are. It's vital to have a properly funded organized place to support and help all of us." -Charlie, IOYS Youth
Giving Activity
Mission
IOYS builds access, equity, and power with LGBTQIA2+ young people, through leadership, advocacy, community-building, education, and peer support.
Background Statement
When Regina Dipadova founded Inside Out in 1990, it was in the heyday of Focus on the Family and Colorado Springs' reputation as a city of hate. Dipadova recognized that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (LGBTQIA2+) youth in the Pikes Peak region are at highest risk in their peer group for various health-related problems, including drug and alcohol abuse, school drop-out, physical abuse, sexual abuse, homelessness, and suicide. To address the needs of the LGBTQIA2+ community Dipadova worked with the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment's (EPCDHE) McMaster Center for Drug and Alcohol Treatment to start the Inside Out Program for LGBTQIA2+ youth.
The program offered support and recreational activities for LGBTQIA2+ youth as well as counseling for drug and alcohol problems. In September 1995, the Board of Inside Out was formed and began to seek support for program expansion and an increase in services for LGBTQIA2+ youth as a 501(c)3 non-profit. In 1997 Inside Out Youth Services became a nonprofit and expanded their impact. Inside Out continues its work creating a safe space for LGBTQIA2+ youth and their allies, and promoting education and outreach into the El Paso County region.
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Organization Data
Colorado Springs, CO 80905