EquAsian is among the more than 20 recipients A wide range of youth-oriented groups have received funding from the Ministry of Youth Development’s Queer/Trans Grant. Administered by the youth services linking organisation Ara Taiohi, the $60,000 fund comes from a $100,000 allocated to support the lgbt youth sector by Youth Affairs Minister Nikki Kaye last year. Ara Taiohi points out that many young people from the lgbti community experience poorer mental health and a higher risk of mental distress and suicide. “We wanted to support groups, organisations, training opportunities and events that are key to empowering our young people, helping them to feel connected, valued and have a positive sense of identity. “Many of these groups and organisations are run on volunteer power and do not receive any form of funding. They must rely on fundraising and community support to survive.” It received requests worth over $130,000 and was able to fund 75 per cent of them. It’s given out one-off grants of up to $5,000 to the following groups: Alphabet Soup – Dunedin Alphabet Soup is a weekly group being re-launched in collaboration with Otago University Students Association and Arai Te Uru Whare Hauroa. They are a safe space for queer/trans youth to meet and connect in Dunedin. BeUnique – Hastings BeUnique are a youth group of young people between the ages of 12-22 who identify as queer and/or trans who meet in person to support, listen, inform, socialise and just be themselves in a fun, friendly, safe and confidential environment. The group runs out of Directions Youth Health Centre which provides free and confidential youth health services to all Hawke’s Bay youth between the ages of 10 – 24. Breaking Boundaries – Online Breaking Boundaries is a non-profit service that offers a safe place to chat for all queer and or trans identifying individuals of all ages. Their forums and resources are free to access for all individuals and aimed at a New Zealand audience. Closet Space – Whanganui Closet Space is a social support group for queer/trans youth run out of Youth Services Trust Whanganui, New Zealand's older youth one-stop-shop. Their current services include: doctor and nurse clinics, counseling, advice and advocacy and groups and individual appointments with their youth workers. You can head along to the group and share a healthy meal. Decolonise Your Mind Hui 2015 – Auckland A group of tangata whenua who organised the Decolonise your mind Hui in 2012. This hui attracted numbers from all over the country and even internationally and they decided recently to organise another event. Dunedin Pride 2014 – Dunedin Dunedin Pride is an annual event run by and for the queer/trans community, their friends families and allies. The event seek to raise the visibility and understanding of sexuality and gender diversity within Dunedin, and the wider region, by organising a set of fun, creative, and informative public events and providing a safe space for queer/trans youth, their parents and other families to meet and mingle. EquAsian – Auckland EquAsian is a support group for Asian queer and trans youth. They aim to provide a fun, inclusive environment for queer/trans Asian youth to socialise and support one another. They meet on the third Sunday of every month for a pot luck dinner. InsideOUT or Kōaro InsideOUT or Kōaro (formerly the Queer-Straight Alliance Network Aotearoa) is a youth leadership organisation that connects school-based Queer-Straight Alliances (QSAs) to each other and community resources through peer support, leadership development, and training. ITANZ – National ITANZ (The Intersex Trust of Aotearoa) is a New Zealand registered charitable trust founded in 1996. It provides information, education and training for organisations and professionals who provide services to intersex people and their families. Kapiti Youth Support – Paraparaumu KYS is a youth one-stop-shop that has been running for 18 years and in recent years. KYS is a free confidential health and support service for anyone aged 10 - 24 living in Kapiti. PrideNZ.com – Online PrideNZ.com is a not-for-profit website exploring the voices of past and present. It holds over 500 audio interviews documenting rainbow culture in NZ. Subjects range from coming out to transitioning; from growing up gay in the 1950s to running support groups in schools now. Q-Central – Rotorua Q-Central, previously Two Way Closet, has been relaunched with its new name. Their mission is to provide a safe, friendly place for young people to be themselves and feel accepted. This is a weekly group is for queer/trans young people aged 13-25. Q-Youth – Nelson Q-Youth is a Nelson based organisation that provides support, information, advocacy and education for queer and trans young people, their friends and families in the Nelson/Tasman region. Their groups and events are open to all young people up to the age of 27. They are a queer/straight alliance and offer support to queer straight alliances the operate in the majority of high schools in the region. Rainbow Youth – Auckland Rainbow Youth is a national Auckland-based organisation that provides support, education and advocacy for queer/trans youth and their friends, family and whānau. School's Out! – Wellington Schools Out is an organisation that has been running for 15 years. They manage several weekly social support groups in the wider Wellington region, deliver an education package in high schools, some workplaces and manage their own drop in space in collaboration with local youth health services. ShOUT – Timaru ShOUT is a queer/trans support group run out of and supported by Youth Alley in Timaru. TaurangaPryde – Tauranga TaurangaPryde was set up earlier this year with the support of Rainbow Youth. They provide a peer support group for queer and trans young people under the age of 27. Transcend - Palmerston North Transcend is a new social support group that is aimed at helping transgendered youth in the Manawatu area. It is run in collaboration with Massey UniQ. TraNZ Gear – National TraNZ Gear are a group of trans youth dedicated to providing cheap items essential to the day-to-day living of transgender people throughout New Zealand. Through fundraising and bulk buying they are able to subsidise the cost of items such as packers, binders and much more. Tranzform – Wellington Tranzform is a monthly social group and bi-monthly support group for gender diverse young people that creates a safe space to connect and safely explore different identities. UniQ Massey - Palmerston North The Massey UniQ in Palmerston North offers a queer and trans support space for students of Massey, UCOL, the International Pacific College and various other tertiary institutions. UniQ Waikato – Hamilton UniQ Waikato is a representative group for queer and trans students at the University of Waikato. They run both social and support groups. Village Collective – Auckland Established in 1997 as Family Life Education Pasefika (FLEP), Village Collective are a charitable trust that aims to support Pasefika communities with sexual and reproductive health needs. Rainbow Collective represents all the work that they do that contributes to building a supportive environment for the Pasefika Rainbow community. Waikato Queer Youth – Hamilton Waikato Queer Youth (WaQuY) is based in Hamilton Central and offers a safe space for all youth, who identify or don't identify as queer and/or trans. They have weekly meetings and welcome all. They run activities, have guest speakers or just hang together. WhangaReinbow – Whangarei WhangaReinbow is a peer support group based in Whangarei for queer and trans youth between the ages of 13 and 24.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 28th January 2015 - 10:40am