How LGBT young people emphasise the positive

Project: Young People's Voice

Purpose: To promote a positive image of LGBT young people, raise awareness of LGBT issues and engage others

Funding: £70,000 from the Tudor Trust over three years

Background: Media coverage of life as a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young person often focuses on negative aspects like homophobic bullying and the challenges of coming out to family and friends. Young People's Voice, part of Brighton-based LGBT youth project Allsorts, set out to show LGBT youth in a positive light through campaigns, volunteering and events.

Action: Young People's Voice has existed for around eight years but more recently gained funding from the Tudor Trust for a three-year scheme now in its third year. As part of the project, volunteers have gone into schools to deliver workshops on LGBT issues. "Young people get the chance to ask questions they have never asked before," explains LGBT youth engagement worker Sam Thomas. Participants have run successful online campaigns to mark Bisexual Visibility Day and International Day Against Homophobia and created posters displayed in schools, youth clubs and community settings as part of a positive images campaign. In February they organised their first LGBT Children, Young People and Families Day, which included a tea party for professionals who work with children and young people and a prom for LGBT young people and friends.