Our 2SLGBTQIA+ Program is, of course, about giving queer and trans youth a space and celebratory space to be themselves. However, it’s also about giving youth the chance to build community, to meet queer and trans adults and role models, to learn about themselves, and to access resources they might otherwise not know about. Alysha, the 2SLGBTQIA+ Program Coordinator, and the volunteers who work alongside her are what really elevate this program into being about far more than simply hanging out.
Alysha started at Directions Youth Services in early 2023. A certified sex educator, she started with a vision of a program that would include a fulsome set of sex, identity, and relationship workshops, the kinds that she wishes had been more available and standard when she was younger.
Alysha’s vision for the program has grown the longer she’s been working at Directions. She dreams up ideas, listens to what clients are looking for and what’s resonating most with them. Her latest achievement? Collaborating with our Fund Development team to secure funding for a workshop series called Queer Futures. During the series, each month the 2SLGBTQIA+ Program is hosting a guest speaker. What’s special about this? Each speaker is a queer or trans adult, in various stages of life, from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, with the goal of showing youth the kinds of futures they can have.
Queer and trans youth don’t often see themselves represented as living fulfilling lives as adults. Alysha’s vision for this workshop series is to give the youth really direct time with adults who’ve been where they are, in one way or another, to show them there are so many paths forward.
Funding for this program, even just to keep it going, is inconsistent. The doors this program opens for youth are numerous. Alysha has connected youth with housing supports, programs to assist with food insecurity, pre-employment services, counselling, health providers, and more. When youth come in, they often don’t know how much there is out there available to them. Alysha, by creating such a safe and supportive environment, often gets the chance to show them what kind of help is out there.
But she can’t do this without support from generous community members. Please consider donating today to help us keep opening doors for youth’s brighter tomorrows.