About
Youth Programs offers a range of activities including the Queer Prom Planning Committee, where participants create the layout for the dance, make decorations, and set the vibe for the dance. The program also includes Q-MIT: Gayme Night! to play fun games, Slay The Night Away Queer Prom, Queer Student Union, Rainbow Connections Youth Empowerment Council, a Middle School Leadership Group called the Queer Middle School Improvement Team (Q-MIT), a Pride Youth Council for middle schoolers, and Fellowship of the Queer: A Youth DnD Campaign where participants make characters together in an episodic, continuous campaign with supplies provided and no experience required. Additional activities include the Rainbow Connections Student Wellness Expo with a student panel and interactive activities, and Rainbow Kids Circle, a monthly 90-minute playgroup where kids do arts and crafts, read a story, enjoy a snack, and have free play, with all participants following The Diversity Center’s Code of Conduct.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Ongoing options including weekly, monthly, and special one-time events; Rainbow Kids Circle meets monthly for 90 minutes
The Queer Prom Planning Committee meets on Monday, April 6 and Monday, April 13 from 4:15–5:00 pm, and Q-MIT: Gayme Night! is scheduled for Friday, April 3 from 5:00–7:00 pm. Slay The Night Away Queer Prom takes place on Saturday, April 25 from 6:00–10:00 pm and is described as a neon soaked time machine celebrating 80’s glam and classic horror movies where camp reigns supreme and everyone survives, and Queer Prom is open to all LGBTQIA2S+ high school students and allies and does not require a date to attend. Queer Student Union meets every Tuesday from 4:15–5:00 pm with an in-person gathering on Saturday, April 18 from 11:00 am–2:00 pm, and Rainbow Connections Youth Empowerment Council meets the first and third Thursday of every month from 4:00–5:00 pm, where members are the visionaries behind Rainbow Connections youth events and learn leadership and community-building skills while co-creating a space for peer-to-peer support. The Middle School Leadership Group: Queer Middle School Improvement Team (Q-MIT) meets every second and fourth Wednesday of each month as a space to hang out, speak up, and take action for things participants care about, and games are provided for Q-MIT: Gayme Night! with the option to bring games to share. Fellowship of the Queer: A Youth DnD Campaign meets on April 5 and April 19, the first and third Sunday of every month, from 10:00 am–1:00 pm, with RSVP required and supplies provided. Rainbow Kids Circle meets every first Saturday of the month for gender diverse, LGBTQ+ kids and allies in elementary school ages 5–11 and their families, with kids accompanied by an adult family member and siblings ages 10 and under welcome to attend.
The Diversity Center’s mission is to inspire and advocate for the LGBTQ+ people of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties by providing critical services, spaces, education, and events that enhance the community’s well-being, allowing individuals to build resiliency and thrive. The Diversity Center envisions a healthy, vibrant, and diverse intergenerational LGBTQ+ community, safe and secure in their persons, schools, work, and homes, fueled by a spirit of collaboration with each other and the greater community. The Queer Student Union is part of the Youth Led Leadership Alliance, a network of eight different leadership groups sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education that work together to develop leadership skills and make an impact across their community, and The Diversity Center and Friday Night Live have teamed up to start a Pride Youth Council for middle schoolers. The Diversity Center also offers support to Santa Cruz County schools by visiting Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) and providing educational presentations and training for students and staff, and the Rainbow Connections Student Wellness Expo brings together school leaders, educators, parents and caregivers, youth, and allies to explore how to work together to strengthen mental health and wellness support for LGBTQ+ youth. One program participant in 2024 stated, “The Diversity Center has made me feel much more comfortable in myself and has provided a place for me to be my complete self,” and another 2024 participant shared, “There is so much love and support from everyone at The Diversity Center. It has rapidly accelerated my transition toward being my authentic self.”
Last updated March 25, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Ongoing options including weekly, monthly, and special one-time events; Rainbow Kids Circle meets monthly for 90 minutes
The Queer Prom Planning Committee meets on Monday, April 6 and Monday, April 13 from 4:15–5:00 pm, and Q-MIT: Gayme Night! is scheduled for Friday, April 3 from 5:00–7:00 pm. Slay The Night Away Queer Prom takes place on Saturday, April 25 from 6:00–10:00 pm and is described as a neon soaked time machine celebrating 80’s glam and classic horror movies where camp reigns supreme and everyone survives, and Queer Prom is open to all LGBTQIA2S+ high school students and allies and does not require a date to attend. Queer Student Union meets every Tuesday from 4:15–5:00 pm with an in-person gathering on Saturday, April 18 from 11:00 am–2:00 pm, and Rainbow Connections Youth Empowerment Council meets the first and third Thursday of every month from 4:00–5:00 pm, where members are the visionaries behind Rainbow Connections youth events and learn leadership and community-building skills while co-creating a space for peer-to-peer support. The Middle School Leadership Group: Queer Middle School Improvement Team (Q-MIT) meets every second and fourth Wednesday of each month as a space to hang out, speak up, and take action for things participants care about, and games are provided for Q-MIT: Gayme Night! with the option to bring games to share. Fellowship of the Queer: A Youth DnD Campaign meets on April 5 and April 19, the first and third Sunday of every month, from 10:00 am–1:00 pm, with RSVP required and supplies provided. Rainbow Kids Circle meets every first Saturday of the month for gender diverse, LGBTQ+ kids and allies in elementary school ages 5–11 and their families, with kids accompanied by an adult family member and siblings ages 10 and under welcome to attend.
The Diversity Center’s mission is to inspire and advocate for the LGBTQ+ people of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties by providing critical services, spaces, education, and events that enhance the community’s well-being, allowing individuals to build resiliency and thrive. The Diversity Center envisions a healthy, vibrant, and diverse intergenerational LGBTQ+ community, safe and secure in their persons, schools, work, and homes, fueled by a spirit of collaboration with each other and the greater community. The Queer Student Union is part of the Youth Led Leadership Alliance, a network of eight different leadership groups sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education that work together to develop leadership skills and make an impact across their community, and The Diversity Center and Friday Night Live have teamed up to start a Pride Youth Council for middle schoolers. The Diversity Center also offers support to Santa Cruz County schools by visiting Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) and providing educational presentations and training for students and staff, and the Rainbow Connections Student Wellness Expo brings together school leaders, educators, parents and caregivers, youth, and allies to explore how to work together to strengthen mental health and wellness support for LGBTQ+ youth. One program participant in 2024 stated, “The Diversity Center has made me feel much more comfortable in myself and has provided a place for me to be my complete self,” and another 2024 participant shared, “There is so much love and support from everyone at The Diversity Center. It has rapidly accelerated my transition toward being my authentic self.”
Last updated March 25, 2026.
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