Community Champions Grant Provides "No Barrier" for YES Institute

If you've frequented Florida Panthers home games at BB&T Center then you are quite familiar with the tradition of the organization honoring their Community Champions mid-game.

Feb. 8, 2020, brought YES Institute to the forefront of the club's annual Pride Night as they received the Florida Panthers Foundation Community Champions Grant.

A non-profit organization with a vision of creating a community where all youth are free of suicide, violence and discrimination, YES Institute offers sessions and courses to the community, schools, businesses and families. Their aim is to ensure the healthy development of all youth through powerful communication and education on gender and orientation.

The Community Champions grant was used to support YES Institute's Communities for Safe Classrooms and Youth Advisory Leadership Council (YALC) initiatives. Each program advances prevention education to resolve bullying incidents, decrease gender-based and anti-gay violence in school communities, and equip youth with powerful communication and leadership skills to take action in creating safer and more welcoming school environments.

"The Florida Panthers were the seed foundation for YALC," said YES Institute Associate Director & Education Specialist Jennifer Lopez. "We're really honored, thankful and grateful for the generosity of the Florida Panthers because we were able to do so much with our youth because of (their) contribution."

For Lopez and many of YES Institute's representatives attending Pride Night, it was more than just their first hockey game, but an experience they will not soon forget. As they watched the Panthers clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins on the ice below, their eyes were soon glued to the video board above as they saw Vic Marti represent YES Institute, sharing his story of coming out as transgender at 15 years old and how YES Institute helped open the door for him to start that dialogue.

"It goes into belonging and community," said Dani Dominguez, YES Institute's Equity & Inclusion Specialist. "When we are invited to those spaces and its affirming and welcoming, it creates a sense of belonging, community and feeling seen.

"I think that a lot of the young people that were there, also their first hockey game, seeing who them celebrate who they are…the fact that they were on display, that one of our young people shared their story and was highlighted and it was not only a transperson but a transperson of color. When you're able to see yourself represented anywhere but especially as something as big as sports it creates a sense of belonging."

For Seth Morales, a former YES Institute Intern and now a part of YALC, events like the Panthers Pride Night and the NHL's support of Hockey is For Everyone and You Can Play positively promotes inclusivity.

"It tells people that whether they are cisgender or transgender, you can play," said Morales. "It doesn't matter. It breaks down that barrier of stereotype and stigma that's really impactful for a lot of people.

"Being an extended part of the Panthers family, it shows that the Panthers are a safe space for youth and really anybody who is struggling with these topics. That's what means the most."

Not too long after that Feb. 8 game at BB&T Center, the world collectively began facing the COVID-19 pandemic. It changed the way we all operate, including YES Institute. But questions about how they would continue were prevalent.

"In a time where people are hungry and trying to survive, how do we continue to speak about the importance of our topics still, how many people really want to hear about this?" said Dominguez. "It turned out they did."

Through Zoom, Microsoft Teams and many other communication avenues, YES Institute found new and innovative ways to reach the community virtually.

"We created a youth pride space," said Dominguez. "It was just a space for young people to share. Why that is important is because we are home and quarantined. A lot of young people who are LGBT were unfortunately and still are in housing situations that are unsafe, unsupportive and unwelcoming and even sometimes abusive."

The funding from the Community Champions grant offered them "no barrier" during the pandemic to deliver their education and support families and young people. YES Institute offered free sessions to those able to access from night courses for parents just getting off work to beyond South Florida as they connected with individuals from around the United States as well as France, Guam and the Cayman Islands.

"The Florida Panthers Foundation is always looking for ways to support and help fill needs in the community," said Panthers Senior Director of the Florida Panthers Foundation and Community Relations John Colombo. "When you see the work that the YES Institute does and the impact they make not just in the LGBTQ+ community but in the South Florida community at large, we are thrilled to be able to support and help grow their programs to reach more kids and make a larger impact than they already do."

Just as the Panthers are always looking to strengthen and improve their team on the ice, they view the opportunity to strengthen their extended team off the ice as just as important.

"To partner with an organization like ours sends communication to our community and even outside of South Florida," said Dominguez. "There's an interesting dynamic between sports, athletics and these conversations. It's put at the forefront that these don't have to serve an opposition. Athletics and identifying as gay or trans or what have you, you are welcome, and we do see you and are willing to invest in you."