Funding announced for new GLBTI youth projects
Mental Health Minister Mary Wooldridge today announced the first recipients of Healthy Equal Youth (HEY) grants to support suicide prevention and mental health activities for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) young people.
The grants to seven organisations across Victoria are part of the Coalition Government's election commitment of $4 million over four years to improve the mental health and wellbeing of GLBTI youth.
The first recipients of the HEY grants will share in more than $180,000 to deliver tailored programs in school settings and established community and health services, and to facilitate youth group support services in rural and metropolitan areas of high need.
The successful organisations are Brimbank Youth Services; St Kilda Youth Service; Grampians Community Health; YGender (Drummond Street Services); Mildura Base Hospital; the Centre for Multicultural Youth; and Youth Assist Clinic (South Gippsland Hospital).
"The seven projects address discrimination, challenge homophobia and transphobia and improve the experience for GLBTI young people when accessing health services," Ms Wooldridge said.
The HEY grants were announced today when Ms Wooldridge launched the findings of the latest national research into the health and wellbeing of GLBTI Australians.
"The Private Lives Two research found around half of GLBTI young people aged between 16 and 24 reported experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress and that these levels of distress are around 30 to 40 per cent higher than in the general population of young people in Australia," Ms Wooldridge said.
Private Lives Two is the second national online survey of GLBTI Australians with about 4,000 respondents from all states and territories – the largest group (almost 35 per cent) of which is made up of Victorians.
The survey was jointly managed by La Trobe University Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) and Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria and funded by the Victorian Government, beyondblue and La Trobe University.
Further information about the grant recipients is provided in the attached document.
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