Today we’d like to introduce you to Phi Chanda.
Hi Phi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In Missouri alone, there are currently 39 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in circulation. Additionally, based on a survey we distributed last year, only 11% of students were aware of an active Gender and Sexuality Alliance on their campus, and less than half of respondents saw schools exhibit appropriate responses to LGBTQ+ bullying and harassment.
Amplify the Arch was founded in the early spring of 2025 by then 18 year old student activist and former ItGetsBetter youth ambassador Phi Chanda in collaboration with local nonprofit the Fourth City Sisters as a response to that reality. Our aim was to build a conference based on direct feedback from LGBTQ+ youth, and to provide them with a space to connect to resources, mentors, and each other. Our goal was to build a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth in an unsafe state.
Our flagship initiative is hosting a free, annual queer youth conference that convenes participants from across Missouri and Illinois school districts for workshops, civic education, arts/performance programming, and leadership development. Our first inaugural conference took place this February, bringing together over 300 students and 40 partner organizations. Founding President Chanda states that “Sister Pattie O’Pounder, our former Founding Vice President, was very much a mentor figure for me who helped support me through this entire journey. She took her chances on the crazy idea of a random college student like me, and because of that, Amplify the Arch is what it is today.”
But while the conference is our primary initiative, we enter our second year as a newly registered nonprofit and the goal of expanding beyond a single-day event. We are actively building relationships with Pride organizations across the St. Louis region, community nonprofits, and working to implement a youth apprenticeship cohort for interested students. Our long-term vision is to create a sustained, regional campaign that equips LGBTQ+ youth, allies, and educators with the networks and knowledge to advocate for themselves in their schools and communities.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Planning Amplify the Arch in the St. Louis region, and more broadly, Missouri, came with its own set of unique challenges. Given the current political climate around LGBTQ+ issues, there’s a level of caution that both schools and other institutions may have when it comes to publicly supporting or engaging with this kind of work.
Geography has also been a challenge. We’re trying to reach students across both Missouri and Illinois, including areas that are rural or lacking in support systems like GSAs. On top of that, a lot of this work has been built from scratch. Early on, it was difficult to get people to take the project seriously or commit to something that did not yet have a track record or past successes to prove its credibility.
However, those challenges have also shaped the project. It forced us to be more intentional in building a trustworthy relationship with local partners and communities, as well as making the event as accessible and safe as possible. We wanted to leave no doubt that we were fully capable of making Amplify the Arch a success. And in a lot of ways, the response we’ve seen reflects the need for something like this, because even with those barriers (political, social, or geographical), students still showed up. I think that’s a big part of why it’s been able to grow the way it has.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I don’t really separate my work into categories–I model, paint, and organize, but at the core, everything I do is about storytelling. As a Vietnamese-Indian creative, a lot of my work is rooted in exploring identity and intersectionality, and building spaces where people, especially LGBTQ+ youth, feel supported and connected.
I’m currently a student at Washington University in St. Louis and serve as President of Pride Alliance, the university’s largest LGBTQ+ student organization. But I’m probably best known for founding Amplify the Arch–St. Louis’s first regional queer youth conference–which was actually built directly from feedback from local youth.
My work in advocacy started in California, where I served as an ambassador for the It Gets Better Project. Outside of that role, I independently planned organized my high school’s first queer mural during a time when LGBTQ+ visibility was actively being challenged. Students were tearing down Transgender Awareness Week posters, and there were real concerns from the student government about whether a mural would be vandalized and destroyed. I spent over six months working through that resistance until it was finally approved and installed.
Since then, I’ve continued my advocacy work at both the community and national level, including serving as an ambassador with Human Rights Campaign and Advocates for Youth, where I’ve supported broader LGBTQ+ and youth-focused projects.
Alongside organizing, I’m also an artist, model, and performer. My art has been featured in local exhibitions, including the Asians Demanding Justice’s magazine for two years in a row, and the MAAY Foundation gallery. Much of my art explores themes of identity (LGBTQ+ or otherwise), displacement, and culture. At WashU, I also created Stories We Wear, a photography project highlighting queer Asian students through traditional clothing, mythology, and LGBTQ+ history. I’ve also been modeling for a little over a year across runway and editorial spaces, and I’m especially drawn to opportunities that incorporate choreography and performance. More recently, I’ve started exploring drag since performing for the first time ever at Amplify the Arch, which has been a meaningful way for me to experiment with expression and connect more directly with audiences.
I believe what sets me apart is that I’m intentional about making my work, both creative and organizing, intersectional. I’ve seen how even spaces meant to be inclusive, like queer space, can sometimes still feel exclusionary, especially for queer people of color or disabled individuals who navigate those spaces differently. Because of that, I try to build and create in ways that are more reflective of those with diverse experiences, and to make something that feels welcoming to all.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We’re always open to collaboration, especially with people and organizations interested in investing in our LGBTQ+ youth and building more inclusive community spaces. Amplify the Arch is a fully community-driven effort, so there are many ways to get involved.
For those looking to take on a larger role, we offer functional director positions that people can apply for if they’re able to commit the time and energy. It’s a fully volunteer-led team, and those roles play a big part in shaping the conference. We also have generalized volunteer opportunities for those who want to support the day of.
Support can also come through partnerships and sponsorships, donating resources or items, or helping us expand outreach to students across the region. We have also worked with artists and performers, whether they sold artwork to the conference art exhibition to help us fundraise for future conferences, or participating in performances like our closing drag show.
And honestly, one of the biggest ways people can support us is by simply spreading the word. A lot of our growth has come from community members sharing Amplify the Arch by word of mouth. Any interviews, newspaper, or media coverage is also welcome!
Pricing:
- Donations of any amount appreciated!
- Flagship Sponsors: 10k+
- Presenting Sponsors: 1.5k+, Partner Sponsors: 1k+
- Supporting Sponsors: $500+
- Community Sponsors: $250+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fourthcitysisters.org/amplify-the-arch/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amplifythearch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Amplify-The-Arch-61579049814526/
- Other: https://www.stlmag.com/family/amplify-the-arch/
