Empowering Voices has brought together young people from Belong To - LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland (Republic of Ireland), the Education Authority Youth Service (Northern Ireland), LGBT Youth Scotland, The Proud Trust (Greater Manchester and North-West of England) and Viva LGBTQ+ (Wales) to create a book / digital exhibition of stories and images to capture, collate and conserve LGBTQ+ young people’s stories, working with them to create engaging and creative records of their lived experience across five nations.
The young people involved in the project decided that the stories would explore themes such as queer joy, finding community and friendship, self-discovery, light in the darkness, and the realities of being LGBTQ+ — both the positives and the challenges.
Art projects like this, specifically tailored to the needs of LGBTQ+ youth, can provide additional supports, including promoting mental well-being and building a sense of community recognising that visibility gives a crucial sense of security and belonging to LGBTQ+ young people.
The project has achieved the above objectives by:
- Monthly digital workshops with LGBTQ+ young people on the theme of storytelling and planning spaces to create their stories across a variety of creative mediums including film, art, photography, audio, and text. The workshops covered a range of creative activities, including storytelling, mural art, folklore, poetry, animation, and digital art. Additionally, there was a project overview, a residential overview and preparation meetings hosted online with all participants.
- A residential bringing the young people came together in Manchester in July 2025 to build a sense of community from across Ireland and Britain to develop their storybook.
- Digital / face to face launch of book/digital exhibition of stories and images will be hosted in September in each locality
Next Steps:
Regional exhibitions are planned to take place in the coming months (dates and venue to be announced soon). These events will showcase the completed book, along with selected artworks created by participants as part of their story submissions and during activities held throughout the residential weekend. The exhibition will serve as a celebration of the young people’s creativity and engagement.
Funding Partners: British Council in Ireland | Scottish Government in Ireland Office | Welsh Government Ireland Office