In 2010, Drew Heckman had just finished his freshman year at Brown, and the Queer Nebraska Youth Networks was only an idea. Four years, one Social Innovation Fellowship, and one Sociology thesis later, the QNYN is a thriving organization. Combining confidential online peer groups and in-person social events with innovative advocacy work, the QNYN has created a new kind of community that aims to “make our home state a true home for all of us.”

After graduation, Drew moved home to Omaha to work on the Queer Nebraska Youth Network full time over the summer and fall. During that time, he recruited and trained a new cohort of LGBTQ youth leaders. He has since moved into an advisory role with QNYN as he pursues his Masters in Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and serves as a consultant for the Human Rights Campaign in Nebraska. He couldn't be more excited about the growth and promise he's already seen among the new leadership team of QNYN!

Here are some of the online posts you might see as a QNYN member: