The Ministry of Youth Development have launched a new document that aims to highlight the work done across government in support of LGBTI young people. In 2014 the Ministry commissioned members of LGBTI communities to think about how they could work together with government agencies to improve the lives of LGBTI young people in New Zealand. The consultation process included face-to-face meetings with organisations, targeted processes through Facebook, emails and phone calls. Identifying a range of areas in which LGBTI youth can better be supported. In response to this, the Ministry have released the document, Supporting LGBTI Young People in New Zealand, which outlines six key objectives to focus on. Youth Minister Nikki Kaye says: “This has been contributed to by a range of government agencies, and outlines some of the work now underway to better support LGBTI young people in New Zealand. “The report is the first part of the response to conversations with the community and issues raised by them. This is only the start. There is more work to do.” The six objectives the Ministry wish to focus on include the need to strengthen and support the LGBTI youth sector, ensure youth are included, visible and valued, that they participate confidently in their communities and family, have access to positive environments for learning, access to appropriate healthcare when they need it and access to supportive social services when they need that treat them with dignity in the justice system. The Ministry say they acknowledge that this is a platform from which to continue on-going conversations across communities and that some of these areas of concern may not be able to be progressed at this time. You can view the document here.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 16th November 2015 - 12:03pm