Pride Month wraps up in just over a week, but people are still getting together to celebrate everyone in the LGBTQ+ community.

Mount Vernon Youth Bureau held the first "Let Your Colors Shine" event Thursday, which focused on kids and teens who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

When people think about Pride Month, many focus on adults - with kids, teens and young adults left out of the conversation and without resources. The statistics about being young and part of this community can be troubling.

One-third of LGBTQ youth are bullied at school, and nearly 20% experience physical dating violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Events like the one in Mount Vernon help kids and young adults find support and acceptance in the broader community.

Debbie Burrell-Butler, the executive director of the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau, says she hopes people will feel comfortable and confident being who they are and knowing there are people who love them.

"We care, we have open ears, open doors for them to come to speak to us, and they're just like anybody else," says Burrell-Butler.

Building connections is another major part of events like this one - nearly half of LGBTQ youth say they want professional counseling but are unable to get it, according to the Trevor Project's national survey on LGBTQ mental health in 2020.