One-n-Ten Satellites Power LGBTQ+ Youth Throughout Arizona

By Tori Smith

one-n-ten was founded in 1993 by a group of volunteers to serve as a pinnacle of support for LGBTQ+ youth aged 14-24 across the state of Arizona. 

The organization provides safe spaces, group meetings, resources, and more. one-n-ten’s youth center is located in downtown Phoenix, while youth in rural communities throughout the state are served through a network of 20 satellite locations operated as weekly pop-up programs that provide a safe space.

“It's really just 90 minutes a week of them being able to be in a safe and inclusive space where they can build community and friendship,” said K Krznarich, one of the satellite program managers. 

Through support from the Burton Family Foundation and other supporters, one-n-ten is able to keep the activities at these satellites free of charge to its attendees. 

The satellite sites are located in Anthem, Chandler, Cottonwood, Deer Valley, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Glendale, Litchfield Park, Maricopa, Mesa, North Phoenix, Prescott,, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Show Low, Surprise, Tempe, and Yuma.

During weekly programming, many different activities take place, such as friendship bracelet making nights, celebrating important historical days within the LGBTQ+ community, or field trips like going bowling or seeing a movie. Activities are flexible and based on attendee feedback. 

One attendees who regularly visits a satellite location is Lycan Kura who was first introduced to one-n-ten about three years ago when a new location was opened at a Montessori school. The first time Kura attended a program, they felt it gave them a space to talk about things with others that wasn’t just about school.

“It just felt like being understood by the other people in the room,” Kura said. “Even if it wasn’t exactly their experience. Ever since then, I’ve gone pretty much every day that I can.” 

Today, Kura is a 19-year-old fine arts student who recently got into playing Dungeons and Dragons because of a friend from one-n-ten. One of their favorite activities at one-n-ten is the beadmaking nights. Kura is the longest-standing member at their satellite location. 

Kura said that the satellite programs provide a level of comfort and connectivity. They also echoed that it’s important that the satellite programs provide in-person activities. Kura came out as queer in 2020 and it was difficult for them to see queer representation that wasn’t online.

They echoed that the satellite is so much more than just a location: it’s the people. 

“When I think of it, I don’t think of it as the physical place where we [attendees] are…to find that level of connection, it’s not something I really expected when I first got into it…The relationships I’ve made at one-n-ten, the friends I’ve made, I genuinely don’t think I would have been able to make them without them [one-n-ten] having that space there for us,” they said.

“There’s nothing like it, there’s no replacing it, and I don’t know where I would be without it now,” they said. “They’ve helped me get through a lot.” 

one-n-ten is continuing to expand its satellite programs with a new location currently planned for the East Valley.

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Find more information about one-n-ten here.