Your sexuality and gender identity are part of what makes you, you – and you deserve to feel valued and loved exactly as you are. Supporting the LGBTQIA+ community is vital all year round. But Pride gives us a special opportunity to express our love and solidarity, to celebrate how far LGBTQIA+ rights have come, and to show our support for the work that still needs to be done. Recent studies show that 42% of LGBTQIA+ young people in the UK report having a mental health condition. That’s three times more than non-LGBTQIA+ young people, and it’s not hard to see why. Growing up LGBTQIA+ is still incredibly difficult.

Whether that is due to criminalisation, attacks on transgender rights, or the potentially life-threatening hate crimes that happen right here in Britain. It’s clear that more needs to be done to support the LGBTQIA+ community, and we are here to stand with them. We’re fighting for a world where every LGBTQIA+ young person feels the strength to be who they are and knows that they matter. We really hope you’ll stand with us this Pride month and beyond to achieve this mission. Take a look at the resources below to learn more about supporting LGBTQIA+ young people and their experiences.

We’re interviewing young people about their experiences

We’d love to interview a few young people (aged 16-25) about who their trusted adults are when it comes to talking about mental health. Particularly adults outside of their education or home. They’ll receive a £15 Love2Shop voucher for taking part, and we’ll use their answers to help better understand who these trusted adults are and how we can help them to support young people. If you know a young person who would like to have their say, simply have them fill out the short form below.

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Activists share their personal experiences of #EndTheWait Parliament event

On March 20th, our Activists hosted an event in Parliament as part of our #EndTheWait campaign. Thousands of campaigners invited their local MP to this event, asking them to support us to #EndTheWait for better mental health services. It was a big moment for our campaign, and for everyone who came along. Since then, Activists have been reflecting on the event and taking another look at why they joined the campaign. Check out their thoughts on what happened, and why this campaign is so important to them.

Spotlight on our amazing fundraisers, The Friday Dippers!

We couldn’t do what we do for young people’s mental health without the support of incredible fundraisers like The Friday Dippers. This group of 60 mums from Brighton initially started as a weekly swim and chat group. But after seeing the impact of the pandemic on their children’s mental health, they organised a 5K sponsored swim and raised an astonishing £17,000!

Do you know someone who’d make a great Youth Panellist?

Do you know a young person aged 16-23 who is passionate about supporting positive mental health? Are they looking for the opportunity to change the lives of young people just like them? If so, encourage them to apply for our Youth Panel – applications open on June 26th. The Youth Panel is a two-year voluntary programme where your child will influence our charity, the way that we work and the work that we do. We welcome and encourage applicants of all backgrounds and no prior experience is needed, just a passion to make a difference! 

Find out more >