QHub celebrate Wear It Purple Day

WELLWAYS Geelong and Drummond Street Services Queerspace celebrated Wear It Purple Day by officially naming its new LGBTIQ+ youth mental health project.

QHub, as it was unveiled on Friday, will provide young lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse, intersex and queer communities with safe and inclusive spaces to access mental health support, social connection opportunities and wellbeing activities.

The naming announcement was made to coincide with Wear It Purple Day, an annual celebration held at the end of August to empower and support LGBTIQ+ young people.

The QHub name was selected by 350 LGBTIQ+ young people in a codesign process.

 

Minister for Equality, Harriet Shing said Wear It Purple Day was the perfect chance to celebrate LGBTIQ+ young people within the community.

“Wear It Purple Day [was] an opportunity to recommit to supporting LGBTIQ+ young people and accepting them exactly as they are.

“Safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ young people are incredibly important, we know mental health and well-being outcomes for vulnerable young people in our LGBTIQ+ communities are significantly improved through access to local support.”

Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens also supported the delivery of the project.

“All LGBTIQ+ Victorians deserve dignity and respect, and the right to feel safe.

 

“Wear It Purple Day [was] an opportunity to commit to this as a universal right and to celebrate the contribution of LGBTIQ+ Victorians to our community.”

The Andrews Labor Government is providing $3.2 million in funding towards the design and delivery of the youth spaces in Geelong and other areas of Western Victoria in the Victorian Budget 2022/23.

The Labor Government will continue to work with Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ communities to work towards the goals set out in Victoria’s first LGBTIQ+ 10-year strategy, Pride in our future 2022-2023.

The QHub will be based out of Wellways in central Geelong.