In an international collaboration with UK charities, Belong To has launched a new transformative initiative aiming to capture and preserve the life stories of LGBTQ+ young people in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The organisation is now calling on people in Ireland to submit their stories, which will feature in a book and digital exhibition.
Titled Empowering Voices: LGBTQ+ Youth Untold Stories, the project invites people from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to submit their stories through different creative mediums. The result will be the creation of a book and digital exhibition that will platform and celebrate queer young voices.
The initiative aims to foster understanding and empathy among young people by highlighting diverse stories and combat isolation by building a sense of community and belonging. One of the goals is also to improve LGBTQ+ youth’s mental wellbeing, as well as encourage critical thinking on broader societal issues. The project also gives LGBTQ+ young people an active role in shaping their narrative by providing an opportunity for them to share their unique stories.
In Ireland, the initiative is led by LGBTQ+ youth organisation Belong To, which is now calling for anonymous submissions from LGBTQ+ people about their youth experience. People of all ages can submit stories, provided they are based on experiences they had while under the age of 18 years.
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Anyone can submit stories in a variety of forms, including written, musical, 3D art, drawing, painting, fabric art, poetry and more. There are no limits to how people express their story, and the organisation invites applicants to be as creative as possible.
People are also encouraged to share personal stories around one of the following themes: queer joy, finding community and friendships, self-discovery and light in the dark – as in, the reality of being LGBTQ+ with the positive and negative aspects.
You can submit your story via this form. Applications close on Friday, June 27.
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