Youth at our flagship LGBTQ+ high school program, WAGLY, were recently treated to a virtual visit from Alex Fischer (they/them), a queer bookkeeper with A Bookkeeping Cooperative, who led them through a workshop on Budgeting 101. This meeting was offered in response to participant requests for post-high school preparation. We followed up with Alex and youth participants to learn more about the workshop and the inspiration behind it. You can read more about Alex and the session below.
Alex got connected to OUT MetroWest through adult advisor Maria, a long-time friend. When we asked them why supporting LGBTQ+ youth is important to them, Alex replied, “As a youth, I didn’t know that I could be queer, so supporting youth who are figuring that out feels personal to me. And, more broadly, queerness breaks down so many false paradigms (hetero-patriarchal capitalism) in our society that need to crumble. And it’s not something that is going down without a fight. So supporting queer youth is supporting those fighting for such a different way of living. Lastly, I learn so so much from queer youth!”
We then asked Alex what they wish they’d been taught about budgeting as as a young person. “Pretty much anything!” they replied. “But also that it’s not about ‘getting it right.’ Budgeting is about the future so you will almost never be correct. Budgeting is about mapping out possibilities & figuring out how to achieve dreams & plans through a money lens.”
Alex’s passion for working with LGBTQ+ youth and commitment to learning in community was evident from participant responses to the workshop. Reflecting on the visit, youth participant Day said, “I thought the presentation was great, and I liked that it was focused on benefits of budgeting and the basics of setting up a budget. I thought it was really easy to understand, and a great introductory course for teens trying to learn more about ‘adulting.'”
The feeling was mutual. “I was just incredibly impressed with the engagement and questions from youth!” Alex told us.
It’s an OUT MetroWest tradition to ask adult advisors and guest speakers about a hypothetical dinner party, so we asked Alex whom they’d invite if they could have just a handful of guests. LeVar Burton, Dolly Parton, and Laverne Cox would all make Alex’s celebrity guest list. Alex would also invite a queer ancestor. As they explained it, “I don’t know who they are by name, but I know that queer folks have existed forever and so I must have some.”
Finally, we asked Alex to share any causes or organizations that are close to their heart, as we love deepening our connections via our guests. They shouted out The Root Social Justice Center and its BIPOC-led movement for racial justice; Out in the Open, which focuses on rural queer organizing; and the Movement for Black Lives and all BLM chapters.
Huge thanks to Alex for joining us at WAGLY and for supporting LGBTQ+ youth!
