A St. Albert 2SLGBTQIA+ youth support foundation received nearly $140,000 from the federal government through a Women and Gender Equality Canada program.
And the Outloud youth advocacy organization wants to use that money to make it easier for those who need a safe space to be themselves freely.
“It’s huge," executive director Kelsey Robbins said. "This is funding over a longer period of time. Outloud is funded year-to-year at this point in time. So, this is the longest funding we have received.”
Robbins said a portion of the money announced on Jan. 9 will go toward seeking feedback on the foundation from community members. It is the first time Outloud has received funding from the Canadian government, and it will allow the organization to learn whether the organization is giving St. Albert youth and families what they need.
“At Outloud, we really like to take the kind of approach where we engage with the community, and we get them to tell us what they want to see us doing going forward," Robbins said. "This project funding is going to allow us to take a more intentional approach and actually consult with hopefully about 200 queer people in the area, and see what they want to see Outloud doing."
They plan to host an engagement event for the youth they have supported for years, and allow them to give in-depth feedback on what Outloud can do to make it a safer and more supportive space.
“[This strategic plan] is going to be really focused on the youth and parent engagement and then making sure we, as an agency, do a lot of activism.”
Events like St. Albert pride, drag shows and fundraisers are all part of Outloud’s activism. Still, Robbins said the foundation wants to ensure these are events their community members want to attend, not just the "wonderful allies of St. Albert."
“We want to make sure that queer and trans folks themselves feel safe at these events,” Robbins said. “So, it will be a lot of conversations around what we can do to make sure that St. Albert is actually making sure we are a safe space for the queer community.”
Robbins said the staff enjoys being a part of the Outloud foundation and this money will allow their members to have a stable position for the next couple of years and make a more significant difference than they have in the past. And show the St. Albert 2SLGBTQIA+ community that allyship isn't "just slapping a rainbow flag on something" but can come from places like the federal government to make that difference happen.
“We’re thrilled. We love what we do here, so I think that’s just the most exciting thing about this is that we’ll be able to do it better, and to do it with the voice of the community we’re doing it for.”
