About Us

Meetings

SO, WHAT HAPPENS AT A HATCH MEETING?

Coming to a HATCH meeting for the first time can be a really scary thing. After all, this might be your very first ‘gay’ event. You will meet people different from yourself, people who look like all the colors in our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rainbow. You will also meet people just like you. Everyone is willing to let you be yourself. Everyone will accept you as who you are. You will be safe.

Besides being safe, you are coming to a place where we have fun, where you get to meet people from all over Houston and where you can make friends. So, just so you know what to expect, here’s what happens at a HATCH meeting.

Once you come in the door, you will be greeted by a member of the Youth Steering Committee. S/he will go over the rules with you, and ask you to sign a copy of those rules (you can find these rules on our website if you want to look at them first). S/he will show you where the food and beverages are, where the bathrooms are, where small group meets and tell you anything else you need to know that evening. Then, s/he will introduce you to people.

OK, you might be too shy to want to talk to anyone the first night (or the first few nights) and that’s OK. You can sit and watch until you are comfortable. No one will make you hang out with anyone else. No one will make you participate in any activity you don’t want to do. No one will make you do anything you don’t want to do.

The first hour is the social hour. We hang out, have a soda, and have a snack.

The second hour is the program hour. You can see what we are doing on any given night by looking at the calendar.

The third hour is small group. Small group is a safe place for you to talk about whatever you want. One of our biggest rules is that what’s said in group stays in group. The only exceptions to this rule are child abuse, or if we think you are going to hurt someone.

After small group, we have our group hug. That’s it until the next meeting.

So, come to a HATCH meeting. You don’t have to be alone any more.

Mission

HATCH is dedicated to empowering gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning youth and their allies, ages 13-20, to become positive contributors to society by providing a safe social environment for GLBTIQA youth, offering role models and peer support, and sponsoring educational and community outreach opportunities.

Vision

To achieve a climate of societal acceptance and understanding without regard to sexual identity.

History

HATCH is a non-profit organization formed in 1987 to meet the needs for sexual minority adolescents between the ages of 13 and 20. HATCH holds that homosexuality in and of itself is neither better nor worse than heterosexuality from moral, psychological or philosophical viewpoints. HATCH has not, does not, and will not advocate sexual activity of any kind; homosexual, heterosexual, or bi-sexual. HATCH does not view homosexuality as a problem, but deals with the problems that may arise for such persons because of a homophobic culture.

HATCH was founded in response to the request of a lesbian teenage attending the First Unitarian Universalist Church for a place where gay and lesbian youth could meet, share concerns and support on another. In its first year, through word-of-mouth promotion, teens attended weekly meetings from not only the Houston area, but also Galveston, Kingwood and Victoria. The organization had ups and downs over the next four years and was reorganized in 1991. Over the years, HATCH has seen continued growth in the number of teens attending, community support and requests for our outreach services.

Volunteer

WANT TO BE A VOLUNTEER?

HATCH staff includes 24 adult (25 or older) volunteers to keep our core program functioning.

Our volunteers are the very heart (and soul) of our program. They help create and maintain a safe space for our youth, supervise meeting activities and provide care and support to youth just learning it’s OK to be gay.

So, if you have any questions, call the Youth Services Specialist at 713.529.3590. We’re looking forward to working with you.