Last Thursday was a night to remember. YouthCare hosted its annual prom, where young people experiencing homelessness could dance the night away and feel the privilege of, well, simply being young.
Unabashed joy. Play. A first dance. The excitement of supporting a young trans woman show up in the world authentically in a dress for the first time. The delight when another young person leaps into the middle of a dance circle and for a few short moments has the entire room cheering them on. A group of immigrant youth, thousands of miles away from home and family, hearing Latin music and knowing they are as much a part of the night as their peers who grew up here. This is what prom is about.
Voted by youth, this year’s theme was the ’90s! Young people could choose if they wanted to dress up in trendy ’90s fashion, or wear a traditional prom dress or suit. It was so inspiring to see young people proudly show off their personal style. Thank you to VAIN Hair Salon and MAC Cosmetics for volunteering hair and makeup services so that young people could look and feel their best!
The party was held at the youth-arts venue, The Vera Project, a perfect backdrop for the colorful and retro awesomeness of the ’90s era. We had orange sodas and themed sandwiches to pay homage to the Nickelodeon hit shows, “Keenan and Kel”, and “Aaahh!!! Real Monsters!”
Shout-out to volunteers from Symetra and Sub Pop Records for transforming the space into a total ’90s party!
Youth had a blast. There were tons of fun activities, including old-school games like Jenga, a dance competition, best-dressed contest, a raffle drawing to win prizes, and a photo booth. Young people were smiling ear-to-ear as they posed for photos, cheered on their friends in the competitions, and danced the night away.
“Youth in my program have been excited about this for weeks. It’s so nice to see them let go and just boogie on the dance floor, even if it’s just for a couple hours.” – YouthCare staff member
Of course, it takes a lot of work to put on an event of this size. We’re thankful to YouthCare’s amazing staff and volunteers, who chaperoned, assisted with set-up and clean-up, manned the food and activity stations, and donated time and goods to help make the night so special.
Thank you to this list of community supporters that helped make this night the best it could be:
- Amour Propre Skin & Body
- Awesnapp
- DJ Francisco Sanchez-Garcia
- Driven to Care
- Herbivore Botanicals
- MAC Cosmetics
- Merriman Wealth Management
- Presidential Transportation
- Rachel’s Ginger Beer
- Randi Sibonga & Hudson News
- Room & Board
- Ruby Room
- Starbucks
- Sub Pop Records
- Symetra
- Thyme Well Spent Catering
- Tiffany Diamond Photography
- Trophy Cupcakes
- Trilogi Events
- Vain Hair Salon
- The Vera Project
All young people deserve to experience the milestone of prom. It was an unforgettable night. We’re already feeling nostalgic and can’t wait for next year!
Check out the gallery below for more photos!
I’m an older lesbian who, like your young people, never went to a Prom- until I went to the Tacky Tourist Prom You Never Went To in the 1980’s. I remember feeling so happy to be dancing with my
LGBT friends and feeling perfectly “normal”. My partner of 37 years and I still have a “Prom” picture up on the wall in our house 30+ years later! What a great thing you have done for another generation of outsiders!
This is such a touching story—thank you for sharing!
This makes me so happy !! Sounds like the evening was a lot of fun for all!!
Good luck to all the graduates in their endeavors!!