Empowering Voices: LGBTQ+ Youth Untold Stories
Project Overview
Empowering Voices: LGBTQ+ Youth Untold Stories is a transformative initiative aimed at capturing, preserving, and celebrating the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across five nations: Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. By creating a book and digital exhibition, this project provides a platform for LGBTQ+ youth to share their unique stories through creative mediums such as film, art, photography, audio, and text. Through collaboration with young people and youth workers, we will foster understanding, empathy, and support within the LGBTQ+ community while also addressing broader societal issues.
Project Aims
- Foster Empathy and Understanding: Promote greater empathy, support, and understanding among LGBTQ+ young people by highlighting their diverse stories.
- Improve Mental Health: Combat isolation by building a sense of community and belonging, enhancing the mental well-being of participants.
- Develop Personal and Social Skills: Empower youth by enhancing their personal, social, and critical thinking skills through non-formal methodologies.
- Create a Global Perspective: Encourage a critical perspective on society and help young people connect local issues with global challenges.
- Provide a Platform for Expression: Give LGBTQ+ youth an active role in shaping their narrative, offering a platform to share their stories and experiences.
Key Outputs
- Co-Production Sessions: Collaborative online sessions will bring together young people and youth workers from all five participating organizations to co-create and shape the project.
- Monthly Digital Workshops: LGBTQ+ young people will participate in monthly digital workshops where they will use various creative forms (film, art, photography, audio, text) to express their stories. These workshops will introduce multimedia art forms and encourage experimentation with different techniques and tools.
- Residential Event in Manchester: A residential event at The Proud Trust’s building in Manchester will bring together the youth participants to collaborate with a creative artist, culminating in an exhibition of their work.
- Digital Launch: The project will culminate in a digital launch of the book and exhibition, showcasing the stories and images of LGBTQ+ youth from across the five nations.
- Local Launch Events: Each locality will host a face-to-face launch of the book and digital exhibition, giving the local community an opportunity to engage with and celebrate the stories of LGBTQ+ youth.
Stay tuned for further updates and be part of this inspiring journey.