8 AMERICAN BLUES THEATER Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award- winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. In 1994, producers Peggy Rajski and Randy Stone saw writer/performer James Lecesne bring to life Trevor, a character he created as part of his award-winning one- man show Word of Mouth. Convinced Trevor’s story would make a wonderful short film, Stone and Rajski invited Lecesne to adapt it into a screenplay. The Oscar-winning film eventually launched a national movement. When producer Randy Stone secured an airing on HBO with Ellen DeGeneres hosting, director/producer Peggy Rajski discovered there was no real place for young people like Trevor to turn when facing challenges similar to his. She quickly recruited mental health experts and figured out how to build the infrastructure necessary for a nationwide 24-hour crisis line, and writer James Lecesne secured the funds to start it. On the night their funny and moving coming-of-age story premiered on HBO in 1998, these visionary filmmakers launched the Trevor Lifeline, the first national crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ youth. Since then, hundreds of thousands of young people in crisis have reached out to The Trevor Project’s multiple in- person and online life-saving, life-affirming resources. The mission of The Trevor Project is to end suicide among LGBTQ young people. The organization works to fulfill this mission through four strategies: 1. Provide crisis counseling to LGBTQ young people thinking of suicide. 2. Offer resources, supportive counseling and a sense of community to LGBTQ young people to reduce the risk that they become suicidal. 3. Educate young people and adults who interact with young people on LGBTQ-competent suicide prevention, risk detection and response. 4. Advocate for laws and policies that will reduce suicide among LGBTQ young people. Some of the programs & services offered by The Trevor Project include: Crisis Interventions  Trevor Lifeline—The only national 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ young people under 25, available at 1-866-488-7386.  TrevorChat—A free, confidential, secure instant messaging service for LGBTQ youth that provides live help from trained volunteer counselors, open daily.  TrevorText—A free, confidential, secure service in which LGBTQ young people can text a trained Trevor counselor for support and crisis intervention, available daily by texting START to 678678. Suicide Prevention Trainings and Resources  Trevor Lifeguard Workshop—The Lifeguard Workshop is a free online learning module based on The Trevor Project’s in-person workshop, which is listed in the SPRC/AFSP Best Practice Registry for Suicide Prevention. The Lifeguard Workshop webpage includes a video, a curriculum guide, lesson plans, and additional resources for educators.  Trevor CARE Training—This training for adults provides an introduction to suicide prevention techniques based on Trevor’s CARE model (Connect, Accept, Respond, Empower).  Trevor Ally Training—This training introduces adults to ABOUT THE TREVOR PROJECT James Lecesne—the playwright of The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey—is also a co-founder of The Trever Project. A still from the 1994 award-winning short film TREVOR