Annual Report April 2017 to March 2018 We listen to, support & connect children & young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or unsure (LGBTU) of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Welcome To say Allsorts has changed my life would be an understatement. I was Youth President for nearly four years and it was the best four years of my life by far. I’ve learned to love my transness and have been able to celebrate myself through wearing pronoun badges and through telling audiences of hundreds of people about myself. Allsorts has taught me resilience, and self love, and that there are so many people around me experiencing the same things. I’ve also learned a lot of practical real world skills; I’ve developed a love of public speaking, I’ve learned how to talk professionally to adults, and I’ve become better at chatting to new people and making new friends. When I tell people about Allsorts I never feel I can do it justice, and now I’ve moved away it’s the only thing I miss about home, it’s the only place I’ve ever felt completely myself. The staff, volunteers, trustees, and young people have never failed to make me feel truly valued as an artist, a trans person, and as a human being. I’ve loved working in schools to teach them about people like me, I’ve loved working with trustees making important decisions in the charity, I’ve loved working on the podcast so far, and I’ve loved being able to work with and represent young people like me. Colin, Youth President 2014 - 2018 Now in its nineteenth year, Allsorts Youth Project continues to go from strength to strength. 2017-18 saw the project expand its services into West Sussex thanks to funding from West Sussex County Council. The Kids Group and the Parents Group continued to flourish with 27 children and 67 parents attending respectively. We delivered staff training and workshops for pupils in schools all over Sussex, reaching 3635 pupils & 344 staff members as well as delivering 65 LGBTU & Trans awareness training sessions to organisations across Sussex. The continuing success of the project is largely due its youth-centred ethos. Our dedicated staff team create a safe and non-judgmental space where LGBTU young people can explore and express their identity in their own way and at their own pace. The organisation is also youth-led, with young people involved in every level of decision-making and operational activity at the organisation, from the management committee to the delivery of workshops in schools and youth projects. We are lucky to have such a fantastic staff and volunteer team, led by co-founder and Director Jess Wood, and Co-Director, Katie Vincent. Their dedication to supporting LGBTU children and young people as well as their determination to help make the world a safer place for all LGBTU youth is truly inspirational. Their work wouldn’t be possible without our funders. We are extremely grateful to the following: Brighton and Hove City Council Three year strategic grant; Big Lottery Fund UNAS; Public Health Sexual Health Grant; CCG/ BHCC Psycho-social; Comic Relief; BBC Children in Need; BHCC Youth Service; Rainbow Fund; Public Health Trans Lot 6; Rainbow Flag Award; No Fear Bridge, Sussex Community Foundation; Well-Being Service; West Sussex County Council YMCA Downslink group; Brighton & Hove Schools Contracts. After two years as Chair of the Management Committee, I will be stepping down in September 2018. I’m pleased to announce that Trudy Ward will be taking over the role. Trudy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and I have no doubt that under her and the other trustees’ governance, Allsorts will continue to flourish. Marianne Lemond 1 Welcome ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' We are inspired by Margaret Mead’s words because small charities consistently do so much for so many. They do this, in general with very few resources. Can we begin my paying tribute to and thanking all the wonderful small charities that we work with locally and national, in particular the YPC where we are based and MindOut with whom we work in close partnership. We also developed our connections across the country with three amazing projects: The Proud Trust, the Kite Trust and Human kind and together we have been funded over the last two year by the DfE and Government Equality Office to provide school across the country with the tools they need to further LGBT pupil inclusion. There are so many others and other individuals, too many to name individually here, who make are work possible and contribute to its success. What motivates us at Allsorts are the LGBT children and young people who attend our services. This what one of them said about how they have felt: Sometimes I've felt wrong. Different. Hated. Small. Squashed. Alone. You give me exactly what I need to make it happen. You give me delicious vegan food. You give me a human heart to liste n to me. You give me a blank sticker with which to in vent myself. You give me glue, glitter and paint. You give me projects to chew over. You give me a crowd of people to lo ve, to admire, to go to the beach with. You give me a new vision of who I can be of who I want to be. Thank you Allsorts f or making me bolder. This is why we fight so hard to provide our services. We know the impact they can have and how life- changing and life-enhancing they can be. Young people step up to leadership in the project and we are indebted to our youth presidents, peer role models, kitchen helpers and peer educators for all the work they do. Our wonderful staff team, volunteers, trustees and management committee officers likewise give so much energy and creativity to the project. We are a micro-community. These are its essential ingredients: enthusiastic, passionate, fun, committed, reflective, compassionate, sometimes angry, always ready to lend a hand, open to feedback, ready to change, wanting to grow. This soup nourishes us all. We would like to thank everyone who contributes to Allsorts. Please join us any way you can and help us continue to reach LGBT children and young people and give them our support as they find themselves and thrive. Jess Wood MBE & Katie Vincent 2 Who we are Vision We want to see a world where LGBT young people are free to thrive. Mission To support lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and unsure (LGBTU) children and young people and challenge exclusion, prejudice and discrimination in all areas of children and young people’s lives. Project overview We aim to improve the lives of LGBTU young people via a two pronged approach; Providing specialist youth services to children & young people from the ages of 5-25 who are LGBTU . Training the wider community and professionals so all spaces can be better LGBTU safe spaces. Young LGBTU people deserve to feel safe and thrive at home, at school and in their communities. 3 How we help There are a number of ways that we support young people: We facilitate age-appropriate workshops and activities that are fun, interactive and often aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing. Provide safe spaces for young people to develop friendships with their peers. Through our advocacy service, we support young people who are 16+ to understand their rights should they ever face discrimination or issues as a result of their LGBTU identity. Support young people to feel more at ease with their gender identity, sexual orientation or where they are at on their journey of exploring who they are. Provide specialist LGBTU youth support and education in schools, colleges and other youth settings, with the aim to positively promote LGBTU awareness and inclusion. Support young people to engage with mainstream services that range from careers advice to counselling and more. Provide young people with positive LGBT role models of varying ages, ethnicities, faiths, backgrounds, and abilities. This develops cross-generational understanding and a better sense of community history and diverse representation. Offering positive engagement and support to parents and carers. Celebrate diversity in all its forms including ethnicity, background, faith and ability. 4 Timeline 1999 Allsorts Youth Project is founded by Jess Wood & James Newton 2002 LGBT Training & Peer Education begins 2006 Fully Trans Inclusive 2008 Open Minds group providing mental health support & well being activities formed 2012 2012 Transformers (16-25) trans group formed TAG (under 16s) group is formed 2013 2013 Parents/ Carers Trans Awareness training group formed delivered to schools/ organisations 2014 2014 Kids group (5-11) trans & School Contracts begin gender questioning/ with schools in the exploring group formed Brighton & Hove area 2016 2016 Rainbow Flag Awards in Urgent Need Advocacy partnership with The Proud Service launched in Trust, Disc & The Kite Trust Partnership with MINDOUT 2017 West Sussex pilot scheme launches in Horsham & Chichester. 2018 West Sussex continuation & expansion of groups. 5 Impact Evidence of Impact Allsorts gains an understanding of the impact of the activities we deliver in reducing distress in LGBT children and young people using a bespoke ‘psychometric testing’ tool, otherwise known as our Well-Being Diary. At induction, service users complete the short Warwick-Edinburgh scale well-being questionnaire. Six months and a year later they re-visit the tool and Allsorts analyses the data to generate information about their ‘journey’ and their distance travelled.