Dreams of Hope

A welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ youth to grow in confidence, express themselves and develop as leaders

10/06/2026

Join Defy the Design: Poetry Circle on Friday, October 16th, a community reading meets creative workshop!

Let's gather in the Defy the Design art gallery. Together, we will read select poems from Defy the Design: a poetry anthology from inside prison walls (the poetry part of Let’s Get Free’s 8th art show). Afterward, we will take time to create in response to prompts based on the art exhibit and poems.

See you there! It will be a moving time.

💫 Fri Oct 16th 6-9pm @ 937 Liberty Ave (Sibyls Shrine, Buzzer #2) Downtown Pgh, 15222
💫 Get your copy of the poetry book for $10-$30
💫 Food provided
💫 RSVP for event reminders & to help us plan at dreamsofhope.eventbrite.org / link in Dreams of Hope's bio

✨ Presented in collaboration by Dreams of Hope’s speaQ and Let’s Get Free as part of the Defy the Design art show
✨ Defy the Design is showing until October 25. Visit creative-resistance.org for weekly gallery hours and the full event schedule

09/28/2026

Last week theatriQ went to the Octopus Garden!

We took the 10min walk from KST's Alloy Studios in silence and used our Love & Attention Journals (shout-out Harriet the Spy 🔍📓) to write down our noticings. At the garden, we took time to practice changing perspective and asked ourselves what someone else might notice that we hadn't yet :)

Gratitude to the garden and all the beings there!

What do you tend to notice when you are outside?

09/25/2026

We're excited to introduce you all to Dom Randall! Dom is our newest Public Ally (), who will serve a 10-month term with Dreams of Hope as our Programs and Outreach Apprentice 🎉💫 Help us give Dom a warm welcome to the team in the comments!

📸 images: 1) Dom, Bekezela, and kai standing in front of Baron Batch chicken painting 2) selfie of Bekezela, Dom, and kai in front of square café 3) selfie of Bekezela, kai and Dom seated at table

09/23/2026

theatriQ is underway!! We played Recycle Improv at our first session last week. You can too — gather random materials & create characters from costume and/or props!

Can you find the doctors, the royals, the magicians, and the tourists in this pic? 👀

09/15/2026

Get to know perilla through the lens of food, history, and culture!

Essential in Japanese and Korean cuisine and a fundamental herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the plant is the center of Perilla People’s Garden, Ginger Brooks Takahashi’s installation at the 59th Carnegie International.

Join Ginger for an artist talk about the project, along with a tour of the outdoor garden and accompanying indoor exhibit.

We meet outside of the Carnegie Museum of Art on Thursday, October 1st, at 5pm. We can’t wait to see you there!

Visit our links in bio to RSVP (required) and learn more about the project!

Photo on second slide by Sunni Park

NOTE: Spaces are limited, so registration is required. We typically end up with a waitlist. Please cancel your ticket if you can no longer make it.

09/11/2026

Last night, we had the pleasure of seeing the world premier of “BURNBABYBURN! the american dream” written by a.k. payne and directed by Karla C. Payne

a.k. is a teaching artist for Dreams of Hope’s theatriQ program, and this was many of our first times getting the opportunity to see their work in person. We are immensely grateful 🙏🏽💫

There’s four more chances to see it this weekend at the August Wilson House & Maddison Arts Center. Go see it & tell us what you thought!

09/02/2026

Fall is near! inside this newsletter:
- community events we’re supporting this fri
- try out & apply for theatriQ next week
- save the date for october programs
- we’re hiring a development manager
- welcoming youth board members
- a recap of summer fun
https://mailchi.mp/dreamsofhope/fall2026

08/12/2026

Curious about joining Dreams of Hope’s theater ensemble? “Try out theatriQ” is your opportunity to check us out!

From September 2026 to April 2027, the theatriQ ensemble will create an original production from scratch 🫢🎭 theatriQ welcomes q***r and trans young people ages 13-26 and offers a competitive stipend. Join us for "try out theatriQ" Wed, Sept 9th and apply by 11:59 pm Thurs, Sept 10th.

📸 Photos by Ava Grace from our April 2026 production, "OH MY GOD!" View the full photo album, catch the livestream, and more at our link-in-bio and dreamsofhope.org

08/10/2026

Our Public Allies graduated!! We are so proud of Hannah, Jo, and Marcelese for this accomplishment and so incredibly grateful for the work they put into Dreams of Hope over the past several months. They will be missed in space as a regular part of the org, but definitely not strangers to us or the community!

Congrats & Gratitude 🎉🙏

07/17/2026

Celebrate summer with a mushroom walk at Frick Park with author & mycophile Maria Pinto()! Learn some of the basics of mushroom identification, reading the landscape, and traveling at mushroom speed. Seekers of all levels welcome!

Meet us Wed, July 22nd, 4 pm @ Frick Environmental Center & join us post-walk for a cooking demo with foraged mushrooms at the Kingsley Association.

Presented in collaboration with , , and

See you soon! Register through our link in bio or at dreamsofhope.eventbrite.com

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Pittsburgh, PA

Website

http://www.dreamsofhope.org/, https://linktr.ee/dreamsofhopeorg

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