We had our beginnings in 1996 when a group of community members in DuPage County, Illinois met to discuss their concerns over the lack of area resources for LGBTQ youth. Two years later, Youth Outlook was up and running with our first drop-in center, our first grant, and our first executive director. Since that time, Youth Outlook (formerly Questioning Youth Center (QYC) has been committed to providing a safe, supportive, and respectful environment for adolescents, whether they identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ). We also celebrated our tenth anniversary in 2008, and we are happy to report that we’ve served more that 1,400 youth in that time, resilient young people that we have been proud to know.

Youth Outlook is the only agency in the DuPage Kane, and DeKalb counties of Illinois dedicated solely to serving LGBTQ youth. In order to accomplish our mission, we provide wellness education on a variety of topics, leadership development, and social space. We also conduct community education programs in order to change the social atmosphere that imperils LGBTQ youth in the first place.

Since our begininng, Youth Outlook has expanded dramatically, now offering four drop-in centers in three separate counties, as well as a youth leadership program, a group for transgender youth, and a group for young women. We have five staff members and over 40 volunteers.

In 2002, in recognition of its ongoing work, Youth Outlook received an award for Excellence in Service to LGBTQ youth from the Human Rights Campaign Illinois Chapter.