Nine youth services in Ireland have received Belong To’s Rainbow Award in recognition of their inclusion of LGBTQ+ young people.

The award, which was established in 2023 to support and accredit LGBTQ+ safe and supportive youth services, was given to: Crosscare Dun Laoghaire, Crosscare Swords & Baldoyle Youth Service Swords, EPIC – Empowering People in Care, Foroige Dublin City, Kerry Community Youth Service, Sphere 17 Dublin, Swan Regional Youth Services Dublin, Youth Theatre Ireland and Youth Work Ireland, Tipperary.

These services, which collectively work with 11,000 young people across Ireland, received their accreditation after completing Belong To’s 18-month-long programme. The aim of this programme is to help organisations ensure that their services are fully inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. During the training, staff are equipped with evidence-based actions which have been shown to boost the well-being and safety of young members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The nine organisations received the Rainbow Award at a ceremony at Wood Quay Venue in Dublin on Wednesday, January 21, hosted by podcaster and presenter Fionnuala Jones. Both staff and youth members of the accredited organisations were in attendance.

At the ceremony, Belong To’s Director of Youth Services Carmel Walsh spoke about the need to celebrate young people in a world that is “growing more polarised.”

“The Rainbow Award is a promise to LGBTQ+ youth that there is a local space where they are seen valued and supported,” she said. “When a young person walks into a service, they aren’t just entering a building. They are entering a sanctuary. They are letting their guard down, perhaps for the first time all day.

“Whether it is sitting down over a slice of pizza or offering a listening ear, these youth workers, staff, and volunteers are creating the safe and inclusive environments that our community depends on.”

You can learn more about the work of Belong To right here.