Day: January 7, 2019

Allsorts Youth Project to start a new LGBTU Youth Support service in Worthing, West Sussex, funded by the West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Groups (NHS), in partnership with West Sussex County Council.

HAVING successfully launched LGBT – specific support in Horsham and Chichester in 2017, this new project will now also deliver services in Worthing from Monday, February, 25 2019.

Talk It Out will provide (one-to-one) support work and the facilitation of regular young people’s groups for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Unsure young people between the ages of 11 -19 years old.

Primarily, the space will be a safe environment for LGBT and Unsure (of their sexual orientation / gender identity) young people to come together and get involved in fun and creative activities supported by a team of LGBT identified Youth Support Workers and trained volunteers.

JP Schofield, Allsorts’ West Sussex Team Leader said: “Having successfully set up and delivered groups and one-to-one support in Chichester and Horsham, we’re delighted to announce the expansion of our LGBTU Youth Support Service into Worthing.

Having been established in the Brighton & Hove area for nearly 20 years, we know there’s a real need for specific support for LGBTU young people in West Sussex which reaches remote areas of the county, enabling young people to access specialist LGBT support previously unavailable to them.

Evidence suggests that this kind of support reduces isolation, a major issue faced by LGBTU young people, and improves mental health and wellbeing so we’re excited to be expanding further into the West Sussex area, something we have wanted to do for many years – we can’t wait to get the Worthing service up and running!”

What young people say about Allsorts West Sussex: “For me, Allsorts has been nothing but positive. It gave me a safe place where my identity wasn’t questioned or belittled and surrounded me with caring and friendly people; who I will now be friends with for a very long time. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I wouldn’t be alive without Allsorts”

Evidence suggests that young people identifying as LGBT can experience significant mental health and wellbeing issues in their lives. Following consulting with the communities of LGBT young people and stakeholders in West Sussex, Allsort know that they are unable to access the support they need locally, with Brighton being the only provision available in Sussex.

The West Sussex project is being set up in response to a need for more LGBTU support and awareness in the West Sussex area.

Allsorts Youth Project has been providing high quality services to LGBT and Unsure children and young people in Brighton and Hove since 1999, with 2017 seeing the expansion of its services to West Sussex.

Allsorts works to raise awareness, promote good practice and facilitate the creation of safer and more supportive environments for LGBTU young people in the wider community by:

●      Supporting vulnerable, alienated or marginalized young people in Brighton, Hove, and West Sussex area who are LGBT or unsure of their sexuality and/or gender identity.

●      Delivering peer led homophobia, biphobia and transphobia awareness and anti-bullying workshops in schools, colleges and youth organisations.

●      Providing training for adults and agencies working with young people providing promotional and educational materials (booklets, toolkits, stickers, posters etc).

For more information about the West Sussex project, click here: