Meridian Youth ACT

Meridian Youth provides support, education, and health and wellbeing promotion to young LGBTIQA+ people aged 15-25 in the Canberra region. Meridian Youth collaborates with other youth organisations and schools in the Canberra region to provide support and education regarding engagement and supporting LGBTIQA+ youth.

On the Facebook and Instagram pages, Meridian Youth has launched its sexual health and wellbeing campaign. This campaign works to promote sexual health literacy and education on healthy relationships, mental health resilience and communication skills for young LGBTIQA+ people.

Meridian Youth also runs an annual peer-led mentorship program, Encampment, for young LGBTIQA+ people with support from A Gender Agenda. Encampment is an inclusive and fun space for young LGBTIQA+ people to gather and gain social support and build their social connections. Encampment is for young LGBTIQA+ folk aged 13-17 and is run by LGBTIQA+ peer mentors, aged 18-25.

Encampment is organised and facilitated by the peer mentors, and run in the October school holidays over a two day period. The camp supports participants to navigate their gender and sexual identities and strengthen their connection to the community. It creates a safe space for young LGBTIQA+ people to express their identity, build resilience, make friends, and have fun. It includes personal development and resilience-building activities and workshops on sexuality, gender, self-expression, mental health, coming out, activism, and sexual health.

Encampment peer mentors receive personal and professional development training to help them provide peer-led support to participants. The training includes mentoring and facilitation skills, sessions in leadership and communication, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness, safe storytelling and mental health first aid. The program’s training aims to promote resilient and insightful mentors with skills that will aid them in gaining employment and volunteering opportunities, particularly within community-based organisations.