Transformers, young trans group, a huge success

Transformers is a new young trans group at Allsorts, which started in October. We are thrilled that the monthly group has seen over 20 sign up so far and a max of 15 young people attend in one meeting.

Our Trans Youth Support Workers Andi and Elliot are especially pleased with the success the group has had so far.  In this newsletter they introduce themselves…

Elliot: “I’m a Trans Youth Sessional Worker for Allsorts.  I started as a volunteer at the Allsorts Drop – in in April 2010 and it was from here that my interest in working with Young Trans People in particular developed.  I helped to set up Transformers the new Trans Youth Network that was launched by Allsorts in October 2010.  I’m really excited that Allsorts are being so pro active about including trans young people because  Trans inclusion within the LGBT community  is something I’m very passionate about.  The Transformers meetings so far have been really fun to be involved in and the enthusiasm of the young people that come along is really inspiring.”

Andi: “I am a sessional worker for Transformers Youth group.  I have long had an interest in gender and identity politics which stems from questioning my own gender identity quite extensively as a teenager and young adult.  While at university as a mature student, I wrote my dissertation on representations of transgendered characters in mainstream cinema.

I started volunteering for Allsorts Youth Group in October 2010 and it is from here that I became involved in co setting up Transformers Trans Youth Network with my good friend,  Elliot Klimek.

Transformers aims to provide a safe, stimulating and non judgemental environment for young people who identify as transgendered, gender queer or who feel that they do not fit with the traditional binary male/female gender structure.  We hope to provide a platform for young people to voice their opinions through discussion, art, games and simply by meeting and spending time with like minded individuals.”

For more information about Transformers, please contact Allsorts on 01273 721 211, email info@allsortsyouth.org.uk or see our website.

Peer Education Scheme ‘Best Team’ in the Vinspired National awards

Our Peer Educators of @ Young People’s Voice have won in the ‘Team’ category for the south-east in the Vinspired National Awards.

The awards celebrate young people and youth workers who have made an extraordinary contribution to their communities through volunteering.

YPV Peer Educators will find out if they are national award winners in their category to be revealed at a star studded awards ceremony in March 2011.

Stephen Murtagh, Peer Eduactor, comments: “It’s rewarding to be acknowledged for our efforts on the long road to tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. I think winning this award shows us the good we do as a team and the hard work it takes to talk to school kids about a topic like homophobia.”

“I’m thrilled that Allsorts’ Peer Education Scheme has won the regional award in the ‘Team’ category. The young peer educators have worked so hard and are extremely dedicated to raising awareness about the impact of homo/bi/transphobic bullying. Their efforts have helped to make many schools, colleges and youth projects safer spaces for LGBTU youth. They are truly inspiring young people!”

For further information about the Vinspired National Awards go to: http://vinspired.com/

Jess Wood MBE does interview for ‘Out In Brighton’ on Radio Reverb

Last week our Director Jess Wood was interviewed by Kathy Caton on the ‘Out In Brighton’ show, Radio Reverb.  To listen to the interview click here:

The show is also available on Facebook here.

Jess Wood, Director of Allsorts, awarded MBE in New Year’s Honours

A big congratulations to Jess Wood our founder and director, who was awarded an MBE in the 2012 New Years Honours List for services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and young people.

Jess was also recently included in the 2011 international list: ‘100 Women: The Unseen Powerful Women Who Change the World’ for her human rights work. She is both the LGBT and one of the young people’s representatives for the Community and Voluntary Sector Forum in Brighton and Hove and an equalities trainer and spokesperson.

Jess Wood MBE

Upon receiving the award Jess said: ‘I feel very honoured to receive such an award especially when I think of all the wonderful volunteers and workers in the community and voluntary sector in Brighton and Hove whose incredible achievements also deserve recognition. I know I am only one of many people out there fighting for a better and more just society. What pleases me most is that an MBE for any LGBT individual tells us that the state recognises that the LGBT communities matter and need specific services which the state values and honours. The letter you receive mentions the Prime Minister and the Queen – I think this shows that LGBT people really are included now in the heart of the British Establishment. Let’s hope one day, the state church finds itself able to follow liberal faith groups in the UK and acknowledge us too?’

For G-Scene’s full article on Jess receiving the MBE, click here.

‘Transformers’ – New Trans Youth Group at Allsorts

Are you trans or questioning your gender identity and aged 16-25? Then why not come along to Transformers, Brighton’s new Trans Youth Network?

Transformers meets on the last Wednesday of each month, from 5pm to 7.00pm, in a central Brighton location.

Our first meeting will be taking place on Wednesday 26th October and will be at Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AF.

The group offers:

• an opportunity to make friends with other trans young people
• support and information about transitioning, your rights, coming out and much more
• fun activities and workshops
• discussions about what matters to you as trans young people
• plus much, much more!

We also provide free food at the sessions.

If you’re new to Allsorts’ services, please come along to the Friends Meeting House at 4.45pm so we can meet you 1-2-1 and give you more information about how the group works.

For more information about Transformers, please contact Allsorts on 01273 721 211 or email info@allsortsyouth.org.uk

Allsorts Youth Project will be participating in World Mental Health Day 2011 taking place on October 10th

Allsorts Youth Project will be participating in World Mental Health Day 2011 taking place on October 10th.
‘The Big Push’ campaign

On World Mental Health Day we will be launching an e-campaign with the use of Facebook and Twitter to promote awareness of LGBT youth mental health and well being.

Throughout the day we will be posting quotes and photos by LGBT youth from our book ‘Healthy Heads and Hearts’. We will also be posting photos and video clips with tips from Allsorts young people about how they look after their health and well being. As the campaign is participatory we’d be interested to hear our users and supporters tips and ideas on how they go about keeping a healthy head and heart.

The official hashtag for our campaign is #lgbtWMH11. Please feel free to participate and post your own status’ and tweets linking to the campaign.

If you are not already connected with us on our social networks please ‘like’ us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter@allsortsyouth.

Stamp out Stigma event with MindOUT

Allsorts will be supporting ‘Stamp Out Stigma’ an event organised byMindOUT, Brighton’s LGBT Mental health charity, invites you to join them on a walk of solidarity to end discrimination and stigma towards LGBT people who have mental health issues.

The annual  walk is on Saturday October 8, 2011 (11.30am). Meet at Brighton Pier in your most outrageous footwear for a colourful walk along Brighton seafront, as part of World Mental Health Day and Time to Get Moving Week.

Walkers will be accompanied by a samba band and dancers from the Pier to the Peace Statue where prizes for the most outrageous footwear will be awarded.

Mental health matters and physical exercise can make a big difference to our well being. A short walk by the sea will leave you feeling refreshed, energised and ready to tackle stigma wherever you meet it!

For more information please see the MindOUT website: http://www.mindout.org.uk/events.html

Allsorts director nominated by Caroline Lucas MP for Powerful Women campaign

Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion has nominated Jess Woods the founder and Director of Allsorts Youth Project in Brighton to be included in a new campaign by ‘One World Action’ called One Hundred Women: The Unseen Powerful Women Who Change the World.

Central to ‘One World Action’s’ objectives is to build women’s leadership internationally – working with partners in developing countries to empower women so that their voices are heard, their rights are enhanced and observed, and their choices respected.

They work with some of the poorest women around the world, women who might not be in conventional positions of power but who use their resources creatively to challenge, question and change their lives and the lives of those around them.

‘One World Action’ wants to highlight these innovative modes of leadership and the powerful women who are the driving force behind them.

In her letter of nomination Caroline said: “I’d like to nominate Jess Wood from Allsorts as a woman who is changing the world.

“Allsorts works with young people under 26 who are unsure about their sexual orientation and /or gender identity. It helps empower and give young people a voice.

“Jess founded Allsorts and is currently its Director. She first introduced me to the work they do in Brighton & Hove, which includes one-to-one advice, team building and, above all, creating spaces for young people to be themselves and explore their feelings. Jess started the project because of a lack of any services meeting the needs of LGBT youth in the city. She drives Allsorts forward and makes a real difference to the lives of those involved – many of whom are vulnerable, alienated or marginalised. Jess and the work she does makes it a little easier for all young people to come to a clearer and more positive understanding of their sexuality, not just here in Brighton – which has one of the most vibrant LGBT communities in the world – but in every country across the globe.

“Jess is an example of the many powerful women who, unseen, are building a better world and I applaud her and those like her.”

Allsorts get a £75k grant from Tudor Trust to develop social and digital media engagement project for LGBT youth

Allsorts Youth Project is thrilled to announce they have been awarded a £75,000 grant from Tudor Trust to develop a campaigning and engagement project for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) youth. The project will be a development on their volunteering programme Young People’s Voice that will run for three years and fund a post for an LGBT Youth Engagement Worker.

The grant will provide a platform for LGBT youth to get their voices and experiences heard. One of the main ways they will campaign is by utilising social and digital media, by using Facebook and Twitter more to deliver key messages and engage with isolated youth, writing blogs for the Allsorts website and using You Tube to support our audio and visual campaigns work.

Each year YPV volunteers will run a major campaign on an issue of their choice. To maximise their campaigning efforts, they will also link in with national and international campaigns like Stonewall’s It Gets Better Today and short campaigns around awareness events such as LGBT History Month and International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. They will run an annual events and creative projects throughout the year including talent and theatre shows, conferences and participating in the Brighton Pride Parade.

Jess Wood, Project Director, says: “‘The Tudor Fund are as excited as we are about this ground breaking new initiative. They have not funded a digital and social media project before. Like us, they think this kind of reaching out will be part of all youth work in the future. LGBT young people have a lot to say about what happens to them in our communities and society. They speak out for equality and justice for themselves but also stand up for human rights for everyone.”

Susan Luxford, Online Communications Manager, says: “It’s very exciting that Allsorts has been chosen to be a pilot project for youth engagement online to reach a wider audience.  Over the last two years we have worked hard to bring the project up to date and train staff so we can embrace new ways of online communication and messaging with young people through the use of Social Networking Sites and micro-blogging sites as well as increase our use of video and photo tools to make a real impact. This award marks an amazing opportunity for us to extend and increase what we are doing.”

Sam Thomas, LGBT Youth Engagement Worker, says: “We know young people at Allsorts are keen to get their voices and experiences heard and this new project is the ideal platform. They have been inspired by campaigns like Stonewall’s It Gets Better Today. What’s exciting is that they will now be leading on their own campaigns on issues that matter to them and helping others like themselves nationally.”

THT launches new support group for under-27s with HIV in Brighton

HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) in Brighton, with support from Allsorts Youth Project, is launching a new support group specifically aimed at people living with HIV under the age of 27.

Beginning on Tuesday 5 July, sessions will run on the first Tuesday of each month from 7:30pm – 9:30pm at THT’s centre on Ship Street.

The group is open to anyone living with HIV between the ages of 16 and 26, and will provide a safe, confidential space for young people to discuss the issues and experiences that affect them. As the majority of new HIV diagnoses are acquired by those aged over 30, some young people with HIV may previously have felt the support groups available did not cater to their needs. By providing a more specialised forum for discussion, it is hoped that more of this group will come forward and seek support.

Peter Boorman, Health Promotion Co-ordinator for THT in Brighton, said: “Finding out you have HIV is always a life-changing experience, and to find out so young can be particularly scary. These groups are a vital way for organisations like THT to engage with people with HIV, and provide them with information on how to keep themselves and others healthy; but perhaps more importantly, they are a way for group members to meet others with shared experiences, strike up friendships, and know they’re not alone. We’re thrilled to be launching this group, and would encourage anyone living with HIV under the age of 27 to sign up.”

Jason MacKinnon from Allsorts Youth Group said: “It is fantastic that THT South are setting up this much needed initiative. We have no doubt that young people living with HIV will benefit enormously from having their own space.”

In addition to the new group, THT in Brighton runs two other HIV peer support groups in the city. ‘What Next?’ is a six-week course for anyone who has recently been diagnosed with HIV. ‘Lounge’ is a group for gay men who’ve been living with HIV for one year or more. Also starting in July, ‘Lounge’ will meet fortnightly for four months.

For more information about any of the groups that meet in Brighton, or to attend the first session for under-27s, please contact Peter Boorman on (01273) 764225. Or email peter.boorman@tht.org.uk

All groups meet at 61 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 3AE

Help A Local Youth Charity By Shopping Online

Finally you can feel good about those late night Amazon shopping sessions!

Now there’s an opportunity to support Allsorts Youth Project when shopping online – all major retailers will now make a donation to your registered charity when you shop online.

Firstly register Allsorts Youth Project as your chosen charity at www.easyfundraising.org.uk. Visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk first when you are shopping online, and then click through to the retailer of your choice. For each purchase you make the retailer gives a donation to this charity.

For example, spend £50 at Amazon and £1.25 will be donated to Allsorts Youth Project – and it costs you nothing. There are over 2,000 retailers including; John Lewis & Waitrose, Tesco, Amazon, Play.com, Marks & Spencer & Expedia. Mobile phone and insurance companies are particularly generous with their charitable donations in return for your business.

It takes only a moment of your time, costs you nothing as you were going to buy the item anyway! These individual small donations add up and will make a real difference to the work that we do – please consider supporting Allsorts Youth Project today.