QORDS

QORDS is a Durham, North Carolina-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a transformative summer camp experience for queer and transgender youth of color in the American South.

Our mission is to empower Southern queer youth and build community through music and the arts, fostering self-discovery, social change, and creative expression. We recognize the intersectionality of identities and aim to cultivate spaces where youth can explore their gender and sexuality with affirmation and support.

Founded in 2013, QORDS is a grassroots initiative fueled by a passionate team of volunteers and board members committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment. We are committed to promoting the creativity, affirmation, leadership, abundance and voices of Southern queer youth.

QORDS is a vehicle for expressing gender and sexuality, and harbors an environment of self-discovery and social change. We recognize that gender and sexuality are multidimensional concepts that intersect with issues including, but not limited to: institutions, race, class, heritage, ability, documentation status, language, or spirituality. We aim to cultivate intersectional spaces and claim music and arts as a vehicle of queer empowerment.