Jayson Scott Takes Lead as Ours Institute’s Executive Director
By Clyde Hughes | AC JosepH Media
EDGEWATER PARK – Jayson Scott takes charge when speaking up for the LGBTQ community in Burlington County and as the founding executive director for the Ours Institute, he hopes to inspire the next generation of leaders.
Scott, 21, was one of the honorees at the South Burlington County and Willingboro & Vicinity NAACP Joint Freedom Fund Gala in Mount Laurel on Nov. 2.
“This is part of who I am,” said Scott, who was one of the youngest award recipients at the gala. “I hope it shows the next generation that I can make a difference as well and push for the next generation after that.”
The Ours Institute is a nationally-recognized institute that provides affordable, online digital education in the form of online courses, webinars and one-on-one workshop on a variety of levels, ranging from introductory to advanced LGBTQIA topics.
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Scott said he became involved with civil rights and the LBGTQ-plus community when he was in high school and wanted to continue networking and building his skills as a leader after graduating.
“Civil Right is everything I do when it comes to the LGBTQ community,” Scott told Front Runner New Jersey.com. “There are not a lot of leaders who are young, person of color who is also an executive director.”
He said he felt honored to be recognized by the NAACP but wanted to make sure that it comes with the effort of helping advance rights and awareness for the LGBTQ community.
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Scott has served of the Ours Institute founding director since 2017. Before that, he served as president of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Burlington County Institute of Technology on its Westhampton campus.
Scott, who earned a graphics design diploma from Ashworth in 2018, is a peer educator volunteer for the Camden Area Health Education Center LGBTQ+ social support program, which offers serves to people of color.
This year, he earned the Youth Hero award from the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund and became chief visionary and cofounder of the Burlington County Pride Day. It led to the first proclamation ever in the county that focused on the LGBTQ community.
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