I started my new job 2 weeks ago and thought that now would be a good time to check in and see how things are going. I am the part time office manager for a nonprofit dedicated to helping LGBTQIA+ youth in my county. Our county is pretty conservative, so there’s a lot of teens who don’t have a safe space where they can be themselves without judgement. Our goal is to provide that place for them.

I honestly feel like I haven’t done all that much yet, just basically got the house organized for the kids who will hopefully be coming soon to hang out. I’ve unpacked donations, built furniture and made a lot of lists with ideas for activities and things that we might need. School started two weeks ago, and we’re just now started to really get the word out to those who might benefit from us.

Other things I’ve accomplished over the last two weeks includes creating a wishlist of items that we need for the house, plus some ideas for games, books, etc. that the teens might enjoy. For me, the two biggest things to offer (aside from just a sense of belonging), is a place to study and a place to relax, because for teens who don’t have that sense of security most of us hope to find in our families, have a safe place to do either of these things is difficult.

So far I have no complaints. I have basically been given the reigns of the drop-in program and have a lot of independence over how things will go. The board is super supportive and quick to help out with whatever I need, which is awesome. I am nervous about what it will mean for me down the road if the program doesn’t take off, but the board is dedicated to this project and knows that it may take some time to really see a big turnout, so I’ve decided to have faith and see where things take us.

Having the part time schedule is good for me as well. I tend to put a lot of myself into projects that I believe in and was doing work at home and on the weekends for my last job. So having a smaller time commitment is best for me at the moment. There is a possibility that I will start working more hours down the road, but I am ok with what I’ve got now. And it allows me the flexibility to take mom to her multitude of dr’s appointments. The only thing I might miss right now is not having a big book buying budget, but I can deal with that.