Time to Be Proud

Organised by The Proud Trust

We’re raising £45,000 to fund a minimum of 1,500 hours of life changing youth work and support services for LGBTQ+ young people across the UK, including our award-winning youth groups, live chat service and mentoring programme.

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The Proud Trust is raising £45,000+ so that LGBTQ+ young people can continue to have free access to specialist youth work and support services. Our aim is to fund a minimum of 1,500 hours of support, enabling LGBTQ+ young people to thrive and achieve their full potential, because we believe all LGBTQ+ young people deserve to live happy, fulfilling lives.

Why we've launched this fundraiser...

LGBTQ+ young people currently face a wide range of challenges at numbers much higher than their peers. For example;

* The BeeWell Survey (2023) reported that LGB young people scored, on average 5 out of 10 on its life satisfaction measure, compared to 7 out of 10 for their heterosexual peers.

* Other research finds that 43% of LGBTQ+ school pupils have been bullied in the past year, double the number of non-LGBTQ+ pupils (21%).

* 85% of trans people have experienced transphobia from family members.

We are yet to understand how a recent Supreme Court judgement will impact the lives of young people, but already things feel worse.

At the same time, the current political climate has meant that funding for LGBTQ+ charities (especially trans-inclusive charities such as The Proud Trust) has dropped significantly. That’s why we’ve launched this year’s Time To Be Proud campaign, with the aim of raising £45k+ so that we can continue to provide support to the LGBTQ+ young people who need it most.

Why The Proud Trust is so important...

When LGBTQ+ young people’s rights are under threat, it’s more important than ever to give them the support they need to thrive, find community and advocate for themselves.

The Proud Trust’s top priority is improving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people. Through our regional youth work and national support services, we empower LGBTQ+ young people and the adults in their lives to create positive change for the future. We won’t stop until true equality is a reality for all LGBTQ+ young people.

“These LGBT+ youth groups have supported me through my horrible time at high school and prevented me from spiralling into a worse mental state, and I am forever grateful.”

“The Proud Trust has done wonders for young people like me who are going through some of the worst times. Politics aside, going through puberty is terrifying, let alone as an LGBTQ+ individual, but these youth groups give us the space to feel like 'normal' teenagers, 'normal' children, letting us just be us.”

How does The Proud Trust support LGBTQ+ young people?

We can trace our roots back to the 1970’s and the Gay Youth Group that met in Manchester, and those same youth work principles continue to guide our work today. We run LGBTQ+ youth groups across Greater Manchester, where LGBTQ+ young people can make friends, find a sense of belonging and grow in confidence. We have the same aims through our national support services such as Proud Connections Live Chat and Proud Mentors. We meet young people where they are to offer advice and support on topics as broad as legal name changes and coming out to their family.