Blacktown Youth Services Association: Am I Not Allowed To Be Here?

Blacktown Youth Services Association (BYSA) is a social impact organisation dedicated to nurturing young people and positively transforming their lives. They give a second chance to those society has closed its doors to, ensuring that no young person gets left behind.

BYSA aims to host a project for LGBTQIA+ young people and their allies aged 12-24, focusing on gender, identity, self-expression, resilience, and, most importantly, self-love. The project will span three days, ideally around Mardi Gras season, featuring a range of informative, relevant, and engaging workshops.

Educational sessions will cover topics such as health, consent, gender expression and terminology, safety, and societal barriers. Additionally, creative workshops will explore self-expression through style, fashion, and make-up. Their goal is for young people to recognise their uniqueness, challenge societal expectations, value themselves, and build a supportive community.

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Acknowledgement of Country

Pride Foundation Australia pays respect to the traditional custodians of the land and sea on which we live, work and play, we pay our respects to Elders past and present, acknowledging that sovereignty was never ceded.

Pride Foundation Australia commits through the resources we have available to us, to work with, for, and alongside Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy peoples and communities to embed a self-determined future.

We further commit the contribution of a significant proportion of grant funding received to Aboriginal Torres Strait  South Sea Islander LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy led initiatives to improve social outcomes.

Australia was, and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.