Dominick Appleton (centre) sporting his home-made Kazam shirt From Gore to Whangarei, more than 200 people from around New Zealand have descended on west Auckland for the Kazam youth hui this weekend. The three-day gathering is the culmination of several months' organisation by group Rainbow Youth, who are working to create a sense of shared identity and collaboration for the queer youth sector in New Zealand. "I've never felt so close to a group of people – it's so much fun, there's so much passion, and there's also a lot of healing wounds," Waikato Queer Youth facilitator Dominick Appleton says. As one of the mentor for the 180 strong crowd of youth, Appleton has been blown away by the inspiration and energy of participants. He says for the Hamilton-based WAQY contingent, it has been an amazing opportunity to see the extent of nationwide support the queer community can drum up. "There's so many of us here, I'm really going to take back that we can act as a collective." As well as providing a forum to discuss important issues, the hui offers a chance for those involved to chill out with other like-minded young people. For Rainbow Youth director Thomas Hamilton, the event is an opportunity to continue the organisation's push to create a nationwide queer alliance. Think tanks, workshops, and discussions at the event have all been driven by the youth involved. “The energy here has been quite phenomenal,” Hamilton says. He and Rainbow Youth Queer Youth National Coordinator Jack Trolove have spent several months visiting organisations around the country to create a tailored programme that reflects issues relevant to participants. Both hope that the young people will leave with the inspiration to continue growing their networks and alliances. The host of guest celebrities, performances with top queer entertainers, inspiring speakers and general good times continues until Monday.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 4th June 2011 - 6:59pm