Supportive Adults,
Get Involved!

Whether you're a parent, counselor, or mentor, you're part of the village.

Let’s support our youth together.

Rainbow Youth Alliance (RYA) supports the community of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, queer, and questioning teens in Montgomery County, MD.

Since 2006, RYA has been effective and trustworthy for LGBTQIA+ and questioning teens.

We create a safe and nurturing environment and programs that help youth thrive.

Your efforts can help teens feel heard, validated, and supported.

We’re committed to creating safe spaces for teens, with adult support being a key part of the ecosystem.

Supportive parents have a profound impact on the mental health, happiness, and success of LGBTQIA+ youth. Other adult allies can provide stability, qualified comfort and facilitation, and a model of how queer youth can grow up to be thriving queer adults.

Your Role as a Supportive Adult 

Here’s How You Can Be Involved at RYA

Bring your Teen

Bring Your Teen
to RYA

Learn more about twice-monthly Youth Groups in Rockville, MD, for 13- to 18-year-olds.

Partner with RYA

Partner with Us
at RYA

Therapists, social workers, youth counselors, and school employees – please help spread the word to LGBTQIA+ youth who may need RYA.

Volunteer with RYA

Volunteer
Today

Volunteer in person as a greeter or co-facilitator, or add your unique skillset to the RYA Advisory Council.

Donate to RYA

Support with
a Donation

Consider pledging $20 a month to help sustain RYA into our 20th anniversary (in 2026) and beyond!

Hear from Adults in the RYA Community

  • "One of the biggest things I enjoy about the work that I do is just seeing that spark in someone’s eye when they find a resource that just clicks for them. So getting to see that moment in real time, even if all I’m doing is handing them the clipboard to put their email down. Just getting to be a part of that — it switched something on in my heart, and I hope that never turns off."

    Mia, RYA Alum, past Volunteer, and current RYA Staff

  • "I was just overwhelmingly impressed by the young people who came, by the challenges they had, and by their own resilience and courage."

    Irene, RYA Adult Supporter

  • "Support is the whole thing."

    RYA Co-Founder and Parent of RYA Alum

Why RYA Youth Group Is Perfect for Your Teen?

  • At RYA, 13- to 18-year-olds connect with each other, gain factual information, and learn about life-saving resources. RYA addresses their specific needs using best practices for positive environments and treatment of queer youth, with facilitation from experienced, competent clinical specialists.

  • Programs like RYA are essential for LGBTQIA+ teens. Though many other services, like one-on-one counseling with a mental health professional, are beneficial for LGBTQIA+ youth, RYA’s peer support model also makes a profound difference in helping youth thrive. Researchers at the University of Maryland found that youth who engage in community-based LGBTQ programs show better mental health, and “long-term participation is linked to greater self-esteem and lower rates of substance abuse for LGBTQ youth.”

  • RYA is proud to be the only organization in Montgomery County providing consistent, safe peer-to-peer community support group meetings outside of schools. Youth groups are accessible in many ways, with programming accommodating (and celebrating) neurodivergent participants and accessibility for people with physical disabilities, including elevator access.

  • RYA participants and alumni consistently report that the program provides support for essential social, health, and wellbeing. Some participants even report that RYA helped them stay alive and thrive well into adulthood.

Rainbow Youth Alliance Provides a Safe Space

  • Facilitated by Trusted Adults (Ages 24+)

    Facilitated by Trusted Adults (Ages 24+)

  • Neurodivergence & LGBTQIA+ Youth

    Professionally Trained in Youth Wellbeing

  • Background Checked

    Vetted, Background-Checked, and Supervised

  • Rainbow Rules

    “Rainbow Rules” of Respect and Belonging

  • Accessibility

    Accessible for All Abilities and Needs

Visit the RYA Youth Group page for more info

Looking for Resources Beyond RYA? 

Our team vets helpful and trustworthy information and organizations for parents, supporters, and youth who need specific resources and services, including programs for parents, education tailored to LGBTQIA+ youth, legal resources, and health information.