Award Winning LGBTQ+ Youth Club

Early October saw us visit the North West StreetGames Network Event, at which we were awarded Regional Winners for the ‘Best Youth-led Activity or Event’ for our LGBTQ+ Youth Club delivered in partnership with Bolton Council’s Youth Service. Later in the same month, we were privileged enough to receive the national award!

In July, BWtiC had the opportunity to take a group of young LGBTQ+ people to the StreetGames Summer Camp in Birmingham, as part of an ongoing project with BWitC’s LGBTQ+ Youth Club and Pride House Birmingham. Pride House provides a safe space and a welcoming, inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ supporters, athletes, staff, volunteers and organisations at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. BWitC worked with Pride House to engage participants from their weekly LGBTQ+ Youth Club in a project to create “TikTok-style” dances to be shared on Social Media to try and engage young LGBTQ+ people in the Commonwealth Games and promote accessible activities. The group created 3 dance videos and then were able to attend the StreetGames Summer Camp to perform and teach these dances to the other young people at the Camp! Our participants and staff were also able to watch the Commonwealth Boxing at the NEC and had the most amazing 4 days camping with other young people from across the country.

Further to this, BWitC’s LGBTQ+ participants also took part in a number of other Pride House Youth activities, such as writing letters of support and solidarity to LGBTQ+ athletes and visitors of the Commonwealth Games, and also engaging in a number of youth-focussed Future Aspirations workshops with notable figures in the world of LGBTQ+ sport and inclusion.

For more information on our LGBTQ+ Youth Club, which runs in conjunction with Bolton Council’s Play and Youth Service, please email bwarriner@bwitc.org.uk.