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Happy Pride, Mercer County! Earlier this month, Ricardo Kairios and Ruth Del Pino with the Youth Coalition of Mercer County (YCMC) at Mercer Council partnered to arrange a Pride for All celebration for Mercer County teens. The event was held to bring LGBTQIA+ youth and allies together in a safe space to celebrate belonging. The event featured music, games, food, and tabling from community partners that offered a variety of health and safety resources.
The event was well attended by 30+ teens from across Mercer County, community organizations/stakeholders, performances from Lady Celestina and Lady Victoria Courtez, and a special guest appearance from Mercer County Executive Dan Benson. FCHS thanks Executive Benson for supporting Mercer County youth by engaging with youth during the event, raising the Pride flag at the Mercer County office, and showing continuous allyship towards the LGBTQIA+ community in Mercer County.
YCMC meets weekly on Thursdays to pull high school students from Mercer County to discuss issues vital to them. To learn more about the Youth Coalition of Mercer County, contact Ruth Del Pino at rdelpino@mercercouncil.org or follow them on social media at @incorruptible.mercer.
Thank you to the community partners who supported the event!
- Office of Mercer County Executive Dan Benson
- Trenton Health Team
- West Windsor Councilman Daniel Weiss
- Prevention Resources / Central Jersey Pride Youth Advisory Board
- Hyacinth Foundation
- Princeton Police Department LGBTQ Liaison
- Anchor House
- Lawrence Health Department
- A.S.Y.S.S.T. School-Based Youth Services Program
- Drag Queen Lady Celestina
- Drag Queen Lady Victoria Courtez
- Trenton Pride Center
Ricardo Kairios is an FCHS Educator/Assistant Professor at Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County. Earlier this year Ricardo joined other community partners to form a community-based coalition to illicit positive health outcomes and the sense of belonging among LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies in Mercer County. Interested in learning more about the coalition or getting involved? Contact Ricardo!