Models of Pride conference to be held this weekend

Models of Pride, a free annual conference focused on issues relating to LGBTQ youth, will be held on campus this Saturday.

“The conference is designed for LGBTQ youth to be a day of empowerment, of personal development and helping them see themselves as leaders both for their own lives and also the LGBTQ community as whole,” said Kevin McCloskey, the program operations manager of the conference coordinator, LifeWorks.

Now in its 22nd year, Models of Pride will host a string of activities and engagements aimed to foster a greater sense of community and awareness among LGBTQ youth in the Los Angeles area.

Events will include an entertainment hour marked by celebrities such as Alex Newell from Glee, more than 100 workshops for students and parents, as well as a college and resource fair. Lunch and dinner will also be served, as well as a dance at night. Nearly 2,000 people are expected to attend Saturday’s festivities, with more than 1,200 being youth of ages 24 and under.

The free conference is funded primarily through private sponsors such as Toyota and USC, the latter of which donated $10,000, according to Rev. Kelby Harrison, director of the USC LGBT Resource Center.

The conference has been held on USC’s campus since 2010, and McCloskey cited the university’s support as both a sponsor and host as indicative of the school’s commitment to being a premier option for LGBTQ students.

“I think USC wants to be known as a place that is a welcoming place for LGBTQ students and is a safe place and diverse place, and this conference is a good way to make that statement.”

The conference is also utilizing USC personnel resources, primarily the LGBT Resource Center and the Queer and Ally Student Assembly.

Harrison explained that the center is the conference’s on-campus partnering office and helps with facilities scheduling and university facility rentals for Models of Pride. The conference’s event will be held in various buildings throughout the campus, including Bovard Auditorium, Taper Hall of Humanities, Tutor Campus Center and Von KleinSmid Center.

QuASA students members will be stationed throughout campus to help attendees locate specific event and workshops.

“Our role is to help them out with guiding people at the conference — we’re [serving] as USC ambassadors,” said Dylan Lee, assistant director of QuASA.

The conference was created in 1993 as the brainchild of the Gay and Lesbian Education Commission of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and LifeWorks, the youth development and mentoring program of the L.A. LGBT Center, assumed hosting in 2010.

Now in its fourth year at USC, McCloskey stressed the conference’s motive to serve ultimately as a means of youth empowerment.

“I want people to feel less alone after being part of this conference. I want them to feel bigger, part of a community, to feel empowered to live their best life and be a part of making our world a bigger and better place for all people, and especially those who identify as LGBTQ,” he said.