YOU(th) Belong
YOU(th) Belong is a dynamic, youth-centered leadership and intergenerational community program for young people ages 13–25 across Metro Atlanta. Designed for today’s evolving social landscape, the program blends advocacy, creative expression, and leadership development to empower young people to shape their communities and their futures.
Who We Are
At its core, YOU(th) Belong is grounded in a youth leadership development model that supports participants in building the skills, confidence, and relationships needed to lead with purpose.
Through monthly gatherings, leadership cohorts, and collaborative projects, young people develop competencies in:
Self-awareness and identity expression
Communication and storytelling (including creative arts and digital media)
Community organizing and advocacy
Collaborative leadership and team-building
Civic engagement and social impact strategy
YOU(TH) BELONG CALENDAR
The YOU(th) Belong Community Calendar is your go-to hub for exciting, affirming, and empowering LGBTQ+ events, programs, and opportunities happening across Metro Atlanta for youth and young adults. In partnership with community organizations, schools, colleges, arts groups, and advocacy organizations, we share everything from social gatherings and leadership programs to workshops, internships, performances, volunteer opportunities, and wellness events designed with and for young people. Click “Add to Google Calendar” at the bottom of the page to connect the calendar to your own and never miss what’s happening. If your organization has an event or program that could benefit LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, please email twest@rustininstitute.org with details for consideration.
Upcoming Events
Join queer and trans youth in Metro Atlanta at Charis Books & More for an evening of games and fun twice a month!
Join us in collaboration with Gender Liberation Movement at a cookout for Black affirming and chosen families.
An open-mic event for old and new musicians alike. This month’s is celebrating (On|Un) Becoming in terms of gender identity.
To ensure youth voices remain central,
the program includes two leadership bodies:
Youth Advisory Council (ages 13–17) – shaping program design and peer engagement
Youth Steering Committee (ages 18–25) – guiding strategy, partnerships, and community initiatives
Our meetings and programs are grounded in the leadership of young people and supported by a caring team of mental health practitioners, educators, creatives, and youth advocates who help nurture, guide, and strengthen their growth as leaders.
Fund Your Future
Dream Big Scholarships
1st-12th grade: earn $250 to cover the cost of extracurriculars, uniforms, instruments, or activity fees.
College-bound seniors: earn up to $1,000 to help cover tuition, books, or other academic expenses.
Applications open now!
Point Foundation Scholarships
Point Foundation offers scholarships for LGBTQ+ and ally students attending accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. Point scholarships support community college, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students.
Applications accepted each year!
Bold.org Scholarships
At Bold, find scholarships tailored to various demographics. Browse exclusive scholarships that are 100% free for students. These scholarships range from Women in STEM to kids who are homeschooled or who have ADHD. There's something here for everyone!
Find the right scholarships for you and apply today!
Amplifying Youth Leadership
Amplifying Youth Leadership
YOU(th) Belong Wrapped- 2024
Friendsgiving - 2024
Freedom Summer 3.0 - Black Girl Democracy
Since 2024, our partnership with It's Majik Media has helped us document not only what our young people do, but who they are becoming. Through beautifully produced videos capturing everything from Institute events and leadership programming to Freedom Summer public service announcements, It’s Majik Media has made visible the growth, courage, creativity, and advocacy of youth across the Rustin Institute ecosystem. Their storytelling preserves these moments as both celebration and evidence of impact—allowing young people to see themselves as leaders and helping others understand the power of investing in the next generation. True to their own mission of working only on projects and with people that spark joy, It’s Majik Media has brought heart, artistry, and deep care to every story they help us tell.
Student Leadership.
Real Impact.
We are thrilled to celebrate Treasure Von Holland, whose leadership has been nurtured through the Rustin Institute’s ecosystem of youth programs—from the National Youth Advocacy Corps to service on the YOU(th) Belong Advisory Board. In 2025, Treasure was nationally recognized as one of GLAAD’s “20 Under 20,” a powerful testament to the brilliance, advocacy, and transformational impact of young people when they are supported, challenged, and empowered to lead. Click the links below to learn more about this extraordinary honor and Treasure’s inspiring journey.
YOU(TH) BElong Leadership
Tim’m West
Founder and Visionary -
Tim’m T. West (he/they) is an award-winning educator, poet, hip-hop artist, and advocate whose three-decade career bridges classrooms, concert stages, and community movements. A graduate of Duke, The New School, and Stanford, he has transformed personal narrative into public service at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social justice. Living openly with HIV since 1999, Tim’m has led national efforts to dismantle stigma through art, education, and mentorship—holding leadership roles with AID Atlanta, Houston’s St. Hope Foundation, and Chicago’s Center on Halsted. A former faculty member at The New School and Cal Poly Humboldt, he also launched Teach For America’s groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Initiative, shaping inclusion across 50+ regions. Now Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, he advances youth advocacy, research, and intersectional leadership through programs like the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship, National Youth Advocacy Corps, and IGNYTE Symposium. Widely recognized as a pioneer of queer hip hop and named one of 31 Icons of LGBT History Month, Tim’m recently received the Stanford Pride Trailblazer Award for his enduring commitment to equity and liberation.
ANtHONY “AJ” MIze
Acting Director
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Anthony Mize Jr. (he/him/his) is an educator and strategist specializing in global education, organizational culture, and professional leadership development. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications, with concentrations in Integrated Marketing Communications and Music, from Tennessee State University, and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University.
His professional experience spans higher education, corporate, and nonprofit sectors, including work in student affairs, human resources, and culture and belonging initiatives, with a focus on fostering inclusive environments and advancing student and professional success.
SOLAnGE TRAN
Visionary Storyteller-
Solange Tran (she/her) is an Atlanta-based visual storyteller and the founder of It's Majik Media, where she helps travel, wellness, experience-led brands, and cultural institutions build emotional connection and visibility through stories that move people. Through her work, Solange captures the small, authentic details that make an experience feel real, creating video and brand content that brings her clients’ visions to life. Since launching It’s Majik Media in September 2024, she has become known for blending cinematic creativity with message clarity, helping organizations tell stories that resonate deeply and inspire action. Her work reflects a belief that storytelling is most powerful when it is rooted in purpose, emotion, and human connection. Beyond her professional work, Solange is an active volunteer with You(th) Belong, supporting queer youth in Atlanta and helping create spaces where young people feel seen, safe, and celebrated.
YOU(th) Belong
Steering Committee Members
Richard Mabry
Advisory Board Alum & Steering Committee Member-
Richard Mabry (he/him) is an up and coming college freshman attending Dillard University in the fall. He is originally from Griffin, GA where he was in the Arts Honors Society and was introduced to YOU(th) Belong at Compassion-Con Atlanta 2023 where he helped design the YOU(th) Belong soapbox. Since then he’s been active in various YOU(th) Belong events, so much that he wanted to help steer the direction of future programs as a youth leader. He hopes to pursue a degree that combines his interests in art with his aspirations to become a therapist, with a possible specialization in art therapy.
Freddi Rogers
Steering Committee Member & Summer Intern-
Freddi Rogers (they/them) is a sophomore at Agnes Scott College who is interested in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, as well as Anthropology, Human Rights, and Sociology. Originally from Brookhaven, GA, they were active in the GSA at Dekalb School of the Arts and co-founded a group called Gayme Day with their twin sister and dad who is pastor where youth played games and had boba or coffee while talking about issues facing queer and allied youth. A dynamic leader, Freddi was part of the youth leadership team at the Oak Grove UMC Youth Group and on the committee for queer inclusion. Finally, Freddi is a first-year representative on the Exec Board of ASCEND!— an organization that works to creative events that are inclusive of queer people.
Treasure Von Holland
Advisory Board Alum & Steering Committee Member-
Treasure Von-Holland (any/all pronouns) is a sophomore at Georgia State University. They are an advocate and volunteer with various organizations, efforting to spread awareness of issues against marginalized groups and assist in uplifting many. She is a GLADD 2025 "20 under 20" honoree. Treasure is an aspiring Biologist planning to go into medical research where he will focus on disease diagnostics.
Janani Suresh
Steering Committee Member-
Janani Suresh (she/her) works at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a graduate of Haverford College with a BA in Anthropology and a concentration in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights. Her undergraduate thesis, "The Pedagogy of Political Science Education: How Modern Scholarship Affects BIPOC, Women, Queer, Low-Income, and Disabled Students" is informed by the writings of bell hooks and Paulo Freire and grapples with the failures of modern social studies classes in providing a bias-free classroom experience for students holding historically marginalized identities. Her professional experience as a programs coordinator for the museum has allowed her to pursue a career in education in her home state of Georgia.
Onyx Peterson
Steering Committee Member-
Onyx Peterson (He/They/Xe) is an incoming freshman to Agnes Scott College. They are interested in studying Anthropology, Biology, and Human Rights. At their school, Onyx pioneered a course on disability history and accessible design, guiding 8th-grade students to imagine and create a more inclusive world. They were also a founding member of both their school’s GSA and IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and action) program, where they worked to foster LGBTQ+ acceptance and community support. Beyond advocacy, Onyx has conducted and published research on sexual dimorphism in hominin species in the American Student Journal of Research, and will continue their research work this summer.
YOU(th) Belong Advisory Board Members
Kyla Hardiman
Advisory Council Member-
Kyla Hardiman (he/she) is a sophomore at Spalding High School in Griffin, GA where her favorite subjects are English, Biology, and Social Studies. Kyla is very concerned about LGBTQ+ rights, particularly in the South where people are voting against their freedoms. Kyla was introduced to YOU(th) Belong at Vox-a-palooza in May 2024 and looks forward to being the youngest leader on the Advisory Council. A writer, In high school she hopes to start a book club and also plans on joining the track team. Kyla is the proud parent of a Tabby named Dorito and another cat named Brutus.
RICHelle Hardiman
Advisory Council Member-
Richelle Hardiman (she/her) is a junior at Spaulding High School in Griffin, GA who helped design the You(th) Belong soap box at Compassion-Con 2024, where she volunteered at the YOU(th) Belong table! With a knack for mathematics, Richelle is an aspiring Veterinarian and Mechanic. Her full-time ambitions revolve around family time, reading, and nurturing bonds and sharing experiences with many youth in her community. When she’s not on the field playing flag football she immerses herself in captivating poems such as the “Tale- Tale Heart” and other literature.
Kaleb Carter
Advisory Council Member-
Kaleb Carter (he/him) is a rising senior at St. Mary's Academy. He is interested in programming and he is a coder on the robotics team at his school. He plays tennis and swims competitively. He is also passionate about history and learning about the past of his country and people.
Jaliyah Johnson
Advisory Council Member-
Jaliyah Johnson (she/her), who also goes by Jay or JJ is a junior at Spalding High School in Griffin, GA. She likes the color blue, enjoys cooking and also doing hair. She hopes to be able to do a dual enrollment program in high school that will allow her to get a cosmetology license before graduating. Jaliyah is step captain for the Jaguars step team, where she takes great pride in supporting choreography and organizing the team. She hopes to bring these same leadership qualities to YOU(th) Belong and was impressed with the program when she was introduced to NBA player and philanthropist Reggie Bullock at YOU(th) Belong in Sports in February 2024. In July 2024 she completed Freedom Summer 3.0, focusing on medical mistrust among Black patients.
lexi MarkhaM
Advisory Council Member-
Lexi Markham (she/they) is a spoken word activist who uses her work to promote education and equity. She has published numerous articles with Vox ATL, been featured in Atlanta Magazine and the Youth Poet Laureate Website, worked to create an Atlanta Word Works Anthology as well as a mental health workbook for teens and spoken at various fundraisers/ events (such as Silence the Shame University at Spelman, Trans Day of Visibility with the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and 100,000 Poets for Change at Agnes Scott). Lexi is currently using her position as the Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate to speak on stigmatized physical and mental health issues. In addition to writing, she loves to serve various nonprofits, currently working as the Youth President for Silence the Shame, an Advisory Board Member for YOUth Belong, and a proud NYAC fellow. In their free time you can find them writing poetry, practicing guitar, watching horror movies and laughing with friends.
Braylin Welander
Advisory Council Member-
Bio forthcoming
