The Big Leeds Chat went to the LGBTQ+ Youth Service at West Leeds Activity to join in the conversation.
What did young LGBT+ people say at the West Leeds Activity Centre?
The young people at West Leeds described the past 18 months as an “emotional rollercoaster”. This wasn’t the case for everybody, but lockdowns had been very difficult when families weren’t supportive of the young people’s sexuality.
People often said they didn’t like school because of bullying, but that online learning had been very hard or impossible to engage with too.
The LGBT+ young people at West Leeds talked about social media and the negative effects it could have on mental health, although it was also an important way for them to keep in touch with friends.
Support from community organisations had been a big positive during the pandemic and had helped the young people to stay mentally well. On the whole, traditional mental health services hadn’t been felt to be as helpful. People would love to see more offers around mental health targeted more specifically at groups of people to help them make the first step towards care and treatment, as well as shorter waiting lists at CAMHS.
More LGBT+ friendly community youth groups were another way we could make Leeds happier and healthier for the young people in West Leeds. They would also like to see youth group leaders get support with their digital skills so these are as up to date as their own, as well as opportunities to do non-competitive sports and learn fun and practical skills.
