For LGBTQ+ youth, intergenerational connections build a sense of community and allow them to understand themselves as part of a resilient community that has successfully survived difficult times. During COVID-19, it is important that we build this sense of community connection via distance. 

intergenerational. community.
kinship.

In our proposed program, LGBTQ+ elders who survived the AIDS epidemic are positioned as sources of knowledge about the long history of chosen family in the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ youth are the leaders who, with support and guidance from the research team, will use this knowledge to develop a mental health support program to help their peers survive this pandemic. 
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​Our proposed program will harness the power of intergenerational connections to support LGBTQ+ youth in re-establishing a sense of community, creating sites for identity affirmation, and building a sense of kinship that has been shown to protect their mental health, safety, and lives. 

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