Staff
The Pride Youth Program is led by Erschel De Leon. Erschel has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in education with an emphasis in counseling. She has worked with sexual minority youth since 1995 and has been a certified HIV testing counselor since 2001. Erschel serves on the Illinois HIV Prevention Community Planning Group, which assesses the HIV prevention needs of Illinois residents and identifies interventions to match those needs. She is a member of Coalition Q, a Chicago area network of agencies serving LGBT youth.
Erschel recruits and trains adult volunteers from the LGBT community who co-facilitate group sessions and serve as additional role models for youth participants.
