In his well-established role as a community leader, Romeo strives to represent the values of inclusivity, equity, and diversity above all else. In 2021, Romeo played an integral role in launching OurShelves, an online book club and curation service. OurShelves creates a support system for youth through literature with a focus on gender-inclusive and diverse characters or families. Fellow volunteers with OurShelves describe Romeo’s best quality as his ability to create a safe space for insightful, educational and inclusive dialogue.
Over the summer of 2021, OurShelves hosted three virtual events. Participating youth each received a free copy of the reading material to ensure inclusivity and accessibility. These events saw more than 40 youth registrants where they engaged in discussions around gender in an inclusive, informative, affirming, and safe space.