A Kalamazoo College alumnus is one of the people behind an international nonprofit’s efforts to prevent suicide and homelessness in youths in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning communities.
You might recognize the name Jonah DeChants ’09 from reports with media outlets such as NBC News, Time magazine, USA Today and PBS, where DeChants has spoken about his work. He is a senior research scientist for The Trevor Project, an organization important to young people who need somewhere to turn when they’re in crisis. The Trevor Project also fights for policies to protect LGBTQ youth; conducts research to improve services for at-risk youths; offers peer support through safe spaces and social networking; and promotes public awareness.
“I think our services are incredibly important, particularly for LGBTQ people, because we know that their mental health tends to be poorer,” he said. “In our research, we attribute that to what we call the minority stress framework. It’s the idea that if you’re a marginalized person experiencing anti-LGBTQ sentiments, that will impact your mental health and make you more vulnerable.”
DeChants said K prepared him well to serve the organization and its mission. The lessons he received taught him to effectively evaluate research and arguments. Plus, his study abroad experience in France—where he had to navigate boldly in a second language—increased his confidence in public speaking.
After graduating, DeChants stayed in Kalamazoo to work for AmeriCorps VISTA for two years while assisting PeaceJam, a local nonprofit that offers social justice programming for youths from kindergarten through college, as well as training for adults working to address pressing humanitarian issues. He later moved to Philadelphia to pursue a master’s degree in social policy at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on LGBTQ issues. In Philly, he worked at the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, administering a grant that focused on housing for young people who aged out of the foster care system.
Upon moving west, DeChants began a doctoral program at the University of Denver—where he examined youth homelessness with a focus on the LGBTQ community—before a postdoc at Colorado State University that emphasized social justice and social work programs.
The pandemic then left jobs in his chosen field hard to come by. However, that proved to be a blessing in disguise as his background made him a perfect fit for The Trevor Project.
“I feel very fortunate to be working with Trevor,” he said. “It was not something that I really knew was an option before I started here. I went into the doctoral program because I wanted to be a professor of social work, and I mostly wanted to be in the classroom and doing research there. But changing gears has been a good detour.”
DeChants now works remotely and concentrates his efforts on writing for peer-reviewed journals or The Trevor Project’s website. He also performs statistical work and takes great pride in what he produces, especially when someone recognizes his research as something that comes from The Trevor Project.
“I think it’s been particularly meaningful to be doing this work in the last two to three years when we’ve seen this historic rise of anti-LGBTQ, anti-trans and anti-nonbinary legislation,” he said. “Our data consistently show that young people are paying attention to politics. They know what’s being said and they know what it feels like to have their humanity debated in the media, at a school board meeting or in a state or national legislature. I think we’re giving people information about these issues at a moment when legal rights are in the balance.”
DeChants knows he makes a difference in the world because he assures and amplifies The Trevor Project’s outreach.
“I’m frequently pleasantly surprised at the number of people who attend a presentation I’m giving in a conference and then say, ‘I know someone who used your services and I just want to thank you for being there for them,’” he said. “It’s one thing to see the number of contacts we serve on a spreadsheet or in a report. It’s another thing to actually have multiple people in multiple settings and states say, ‘This was important to me’ or ‘Someone I love really needed it.’”
Help is Available
The Trevor Project has recently extended its partnership with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Trevor Project is one of seven centers helping to ensure that LGBTQ people who contact 988 receive LGBTQ-competent and inclusive care via phone, text and chat. The organization also provides options to connect to a crisis counselor 24/7 through its website. If you or someone you know is in crisis, visit The Trevor Project to connect via phone, chat or text.