our youth engagement programme helps LGBTQ+ young people to thrive

The Youth Engagement Team works across the country to provide opportunities to young people who are currently or have recently accessed akt support services.

We provide in-person and online spaces to meet other LGBTQ+ young people and be involved in youth groups, trips, events, and workshops.

These are spaces to meet like-minded people and connect with the akt community. We actively consult with young people to develop our services to ensure they remain relevant to the people who access them.

the youth engagement programme

what are we up to?

We have a member of the team in each akt office in London, Bristol, Manchester, and Newcastle. In each of these cities, we deliver youth groups, trips, activities, and workshops.  We also run online national groups where you can meet other young people from across the country.

To give you an idea of what you can expect from our youth engagement programme, here are some examples of the different types of activities we do: jewellery making with artists, screen printing, collage workshops, and a fitness project. We also go on trips and have been to visit museums, queer art exhibitions and to the theatre.

Along with social groups, we also provide sessions based on career skills and independent living skills, where you can join workshops and get information on a wide range of matters including volunteering, budgeting, healthy eating, etc.

There are also opportunities to get involved with the akt youth panel, the community campaigners project, co-creation activities, and consultation sessions.

If you would like to be kept up to date with what’s happening on the youth engagement programme, please get in touch with your caseworker to be added to our mailing list and receive our newsletter.

other forms of support

Find out about the other ways akt supports young LGBTQ+ people on our Get Support page and please check out the resources on our online community hub.

mentoring

what is the mentoring programme?

akt mentoring programme provides one-to-one support to the LGBTQ+ young people accessing our services.

what does a mentor do?

A mentor will seek to build and maintain a relationship with a young person, plan and encourage them to take their own actions to help them to grow and lead a fulfilling and independent life e.g. supporting a young trans person through the coming out process.

Speaking to someone who listens and can offer advice when needed has been said to increase confidence, as well as help manage minority stresses that we face as members of the LGBTQ+ community. We currently have 16 mentors on our system and 9 matches.