Willow Stein, MSW (they/them or she/her) is a volunteer at SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program at the Pride Center of Vermont and co-facilitates Pondering Gender and Sexuality, a group for all questions and questioners, focusing on the intersections of sexuality, gender, identity, and social norms.  Willow has long been a creature with great curiosity and an amiable kettle-stirrer, as well as a survivor of emotional and sexual violence.  They strive to practice collaboratively and kindly, to build and strengthen community, and to empower other survivors to recover and use their voices.  Before their MSW, Willow studied studio arts and creative writing, and enjoys pottery, poetry, and gardening.

After completing the volunteer or internship application above, please email safespace@pridecentervt.org introducing yourself to the team.

We’d love to know a bit about you! Such as, name/pronouns, your favorite quote about social justice and/or survivors, what motivates you to get involved with LGBTQ+ anti-violence work, and how many hours a week/month you would like to volunteer/intern with us. Please also include the best way for us to contact you.

We have a variety of ways you could get involved that are constantly changing! Some are more behind the scenes and some involve directly working with survivors, all of which are important to keeping our services up and running and increasing our abilities to serve LGBTQ+ survivors statewide.

Gustavo is a queer, non-binary puertorriqueñe born and raised on the island, and they are excited to work as our Transgender Program Coordinator, supporting and uplifting a community that means so much to them. They are a recent graduate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a focus on intersectional feminism and its roots in communities of color. They are a passionate LGBTQIA+ and racial activist who wants to work on making spaces more accessible and safe for all folks in the community and the intersections of their identities.

Gustavo is always open to learning more about identities and the ways that they can be challenging and empowering for folks here in Vermont. Being very new to the state, they are looking forward to exploring a new place and meeting wonderful new people. In this role Gustavo hopes to help create networks of care and empowerment for all of us in the trans (and overall LGBTQIA+) community. Gustavo is a hugger, avid reader, Beyoncé stan, and will never say no to good vegetarian food!

Anne is an advocate with the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program. Originally from the Midwest, she first moved to Vermont to attend UVM, where she received undergraduate degrees in German and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Anne comes to the Pride Center and returns to Vermont after two years in Sweden, where she received a masters of social science in Gender Studies: Intersectionality and Change. While abroad, Anne worked with LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees, an experience which sparked her passion for advocacy within the LGBTQ+ community. Anne is excited to be furthering her advocacy work at the Pride Center – and to be back in Vermont!

In addition to working with the SafeSpace program, Anne is a coordinator for Glow, a program for LGBTQ+ women and people who are women-aligned. Since Glow is a relatively new program, feel free to send her an email with any questions you might have about the program or about Glow’s mission to create inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ women and people who are women-aligned in Vermont.

Skylar is a queer, trans-masculine, and non-binary activist that is passionate about exploring the ways that LGBTQ+ people navigate balancing perception, visibility, and authenticity. Sky seeks to empower people to challenge not only themselves, but the cultures around them. He believes that if people can learn to both stretch and love themselves, they can also learn to both stretch and love the world. Skylar is cheesy, witty, and refreshingly transparent.

As a staff member, Skylar deeply values humility, lifelong learning, and remaining continually reflexive to the community’s needs. Sky simultaneously works towards holistic community mental health and collective social justice.