Youth & Family Programs

Youth Community Support Groups

Youth community groups provide professional peer support in LGBTQ+ affirming spaces and offer opportunity for young people to create connection and build community.

The Sparks LGBTQIA+ Youth Groups will meet once in November and once in December, and resume on a regular bi-weekly schedule beginning in January. More details coming soon.

Learn about the November and December Sparks Groups events <here>.

New Youth Programs Coming Soon!

We are working behind the scenes to bring an exciting and impactful new youth program to The Spahr Center, centered around mental health support and resources.

We need all youth and young people ages 12-25 to complete an anonymous survey which gets accredited to our center and Marin County. Your participation improves our results and allows us to produce higher quality services for the LGBTQIA+ youth in Marin. Survey must be completed by December 1

Programs in Schools

The Spahr Center facilitates Q Groups in schools across Marin County. These are LGBTQ+ youth groups that occur during school hours, on school grounds. Click below to discover which middle and high school in which we offer Q Groups.

To learn more about Q Groups, email to Ari Sifuentes (she/her), LMFT Director of Mental Health. 

    1. Kent

    2. Miller Creek

    1. Archie Williams

    2. Novato

    3. Redwood

    4. San Andreas

    5. San Marin

    6. San Rafael

    7. Tamalpais

    8. Terria Linda

Out in the Park

Out in the Park, hosted by The Spahr Center, is a series of regular outdoor gatherings for LGBTQ+ young people and their chosen families in Marin County parks. These gatherings meet in a variety of Marin County parks for a group activity and brown bag picnic.

All ages are welcome to participate — from parents of LGBTQ+ children looking to connect with other families, to LGBTQ+ young adults who wish to build community.

Find our next Out in the Park event on our events calendar <here>.

For questions and to RSVP, contact Pamela Chavez (she/her), Director of Community Outreach.

Programs for Families with Transgender, Non-Binary, and Questioning Children

The Spahr Center offers community support and opportunities to create connection for families of Marin with transgender, non-binary, and queer youth. Join our support groups to share your experience in a welcoming space where you can speak openly, find and offer support, and get the information you need. Explore how best to support yourself as you support your child/grandchild. All support groups are currently hosted on Zoom.

Parent/Caregiver Community Support Group

The first person a child should feel comfortable coming out to is their parent/caregiver. The Spahr Center provides this Parent/Caregiver Community Support Group to offer connections and resources for parents/caregivers of transgender, non-binary, and questioning children.

This group is facilitated by Janna Barkin (she/her), group facilitator, and Charlotte Moxey (they/them), Social Work Intern.

This group is for parents and caregivers in the SF Bay Area only.

Meetings occur every second and fourth Tuesdays from 7:00pm-8:30pm on Zoom.

Register <here> for the zoom link.

Grandparents Community Support Group

Grandparents have a unique role to play in supporting the transgender and non-binary youth in their lives. The Spahr Center’s grandparents group is an inviting space to learn more about your grandchild’s experience and the ways grandparents can support them.

This group is co-facilitated by Janna Barkin (she/her), group facilitator, and Cassidy Steele (she/her), Marriage and Family Therapist Intern.

Meetings occur every second and fourth Tuesdays from 12:00pm-1:30pm on Zoom.

This group is only or grandparents living in Marin and the Bay Area.

Register <here> the zoom link.

Family Programs Contact

Pamela Chavez (she/ella), Director of Community Outreach

Email: PChavez@TheSpahrCenter.org

Phone: 415-907-2429

The Spahr Center provides LGBTQ+ cultural humility trainings for schools and nonprofits in Marin and beyond.

    1. Group of young people dressed in rainbow attire at SF Pride.

    2. Smiling middle schoolers in front of a “pride” banner

    3. Two people smiling wearing hand-knitted pride clothes

    4. Two smiling children on a blanket

    5. Child playing with rainbow streamers