How YouthLine is making a difference for 2SLGBTQI+ youth

LGBT YouthLine has been making great strides in helping 2SLGBTQI+ youth in Ontario’s Northern, remote, rural, and Indigenous communities get better access to resources and support.

Last year, as part of our 70^th anniversary celebrations, Sovereign donated $70,000 to LGBT YouthLine, an organization that shares our values for diversity and inclusion. We connected with Youth Line to learn how they put the funds to good use.

These are just some of their impressive accomplishments over the past year:

Creating a new outreach program

In 2023, in response to the closing of the Provincial Youth Ambassador Project (PYAP), YouthLine formed the Northern, Rural, Remote, and Indigenous (NRRI) outreach program. The project aims to engage with 2SLGBTQI+ youth in underserved communities through on-the-ground training, presentations, and community projects.

Launching a new program comes with challenges, and funding from Sovereign helped to get the program off the ground and establish a Youth Line presence in NRRI communities. One year later, this outreach program has reached as least 940 NRRI community members!

“Thanks to the generous contribution from Sovereign, we hired a dedicated Northern, Rural, Remote, and Indigenous Specialist to expand our outreach work,” said Sierra Savedra, Manager of Outreach and Training with YouthLine.

For Sovereign, this isn’t a one-off initiative, we’re committed to supporting more diverse and inclusive communities and workplaces.

“This contribution reflects our commitment to diversity and inclusion and the resilient communities we serve,” said Barb Stephens, AVP of Internal Communications with Sovereign. “We’re gratified to know that YouthLine was able to reignite its Northern, Rural, Remote, and Indigenous outreach program as a result of our funding.”

Supporting key events

Over the past year, this funding helped to support key events:

• 2S Powwow in Georgian Bay provided an opportunity for 2SLGBTQI+ youth to meet event organizers in-person, fostering stronger connections.
• Katatnolunkwa (“I Love Me”) Community Pride, hosted on the Oneida of the Thames First Nation, which included participation in an Oneida rainbow flag-raising ceremony.
• Sioux Lookout Drag Show, which provided an engaging platform for entertainment and community engagement.

“This also enabled us to table and make connections at key events in Northern Ontario, which has grown into our current collaborative project conducting a survey and creating resources for 2-Spirit and Indigequeer youth in the North,” said Savedra.

Enacting grassroots initiatives

Some of the other impacts YouthLine has made over the past year include:

• Connecting face-to-face with youth in communities where 2SLGBTQI+ representation and events are few and far between.
• Fostering relationships with community organizers and key organizations in underserved regions and initiating new collaborations.
• Distributing resources and outreach materials to youth, allies, and service providers in NRRI regions. Continuing its relationship with Ever Sick (a 2-Spirit drag collective) and Grand Council Treaty 3 (a First Nations government), through a collaboration on developing resources for 2S and Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ community members in Treaty 3 territory.

 About LGBT YouthLine

YouthLine was formed in 1993 to provide toll-free phone support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning youth across Ontario. While support lines already existed in larger cities, the group recognized the need for a province-wide support line in underserved areas to alleviate the isolation and loneliness felt by queer youth.

In response to changing technology, YouthLine launched a live online chat in 2009 and text support in 2011 for its peer support services. Youth Line also offers a resource database to ensure youth in rural and suburban regions have access to current, reliable resources. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the peer support volunteer program has operated remotely, and YouthLine has trained numerous queer and trans youth volunteers across Ontario on providing peer support. With funding, the organization can continue to support 2SLGBTQI+ youth in Ontario’s Northern, remote, rural, and Indigenous communities.

Learn more about Sovereign’s diversity and inclusion journey and the amazing organizations and causes we’ve championed.