What We Are:
Pizza Klatch offers facilitated support for GLBTQ youth and their allies. The support is offered during high school lunch periods, with free pizza, to provide a convenient and safe forum for the discussion of topics important to these youths. There are currently 5 Olympia area high schools which we provide pizza and facilitators for, sponsoring 2 lunches each per week. We typically have about 8-20 students per lunch.
Why We’re Here:
The Klatch grew out of a need to provide safe support for GLBTQ youth. Some GLBTQ students were unable to attend meetings held after school, since they might require transportation, or were in danger of being “outed” if they attended. The solution we found was to provide free pizza during lunch hours. This had some big benefits:
The meetings take place during normal school hours on school grounds, with no need to find transportation or require after-school time
We could make use of the entire lunch period – no waiting for students to get their food, etc.
It provides an alibi for those who are not “out” – they can claim pizza is the draw
It draws allies who might not otherwise attend
Who We Are:
Pizza Klatch is a grassroots collaboration between school counselors, faculty, and GSAs (Gay Straight Alliance clubs) from Timberline and North Thurston High Schools; therapists in the community (including an LICSW who consults and supervises all the facilitators every month); PFLAG-Olympia (Parents, Friends, and Family of Lesbians and Gays); PIPE (Partners in Prevention Education); Stonewall Youth; and St. Benedict's Episcopal Church (which happily releases their Vicar as one of the facilitators of the group each week).
More Why We’re Here:
30% of all suicides[i] that occur among our youth happen because the teenagers are struggling with their sexual identity. Many of the adults these youth are turning to are not helping them. They are in fact shaming them or making life miserable for them. Unfortunately, homophobia is alive and well in our world, and in the world of our kids. This is reflected not only by suicide rates, but also drug and alcohol abuse among GLBTQ youth. A gay youth is 4 times more prone towards substance abuse than their straight counter-parts. And, they are also much more likely than straight kids to be bullied or experience violence at school. We are confident that these support groups are an effective and cost-effective means of providing support, significantly increasing the well-being of GLBTQ youth.
What You Can Do:
Provide financial support.
Send your tax-deductible donation* to:
PFLAG Olympia
PO Box 12732
Olympia, WA 98508-2732
* Make a note on your check: “Pizza Klatch”or a donation of $75, $100 or $125 a Quarter:
Or donate through PayPal
where you can make a one time donation:
or a Montly Donation:
Thank you!
If you are a student or school faculty, offer to run/start a GSA within your school, and contact us about starting a pizza klatch in your school
If you are interested in being a facilitator, contact us.
If you can provide pizza at a discount, contact us.
NEW! Use this poster to announce your Pizza Klatch: Pizza Klatch: What? When? Where? Poster
(pdf file, tabloid size: 11"x17" - 322 kb)
[i] Center for Disease Control/Massachusetts Department of Education Youth Risk Behavior Survey (1999).
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Pizza Klatch What Where When Poster (pdf file, tabloid size: 11"x17" - 322 kb)
