The Vision
Our vision in 2025 is to open a physical space where we can deliver our services in person while also expanding our offerings to meet the growing needs of our community.
For queer and/or IBPOC individuals, accessing support often feels non affirming and/or unsafe. It's essential to create spaces intentionally designed by and for these communities—spaces that prioritize their unique needs and ensure safety, inclusivity, and empowerment.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
DONATE a space and/or a portion of the rent for the space in kind.
Donate funds on our website RE: DONATE
Rent a property to us.
Help us furnish the space using our AMAZON WISH LIST, WAYFAIR WISHLIST or donating items to us.
The Truth
Queer and people of colour (QTBIPOC) exist in a system that was not designed for us and must apply some “normalcy” and “respectability” to achieve some acceptance among services. Many services pathologize, shame and judge these groups.
Many of these individuals/youths are subject to violence at higher rates and do not have spaces within the Okanagan that is entirely inclusive or free from hate. These are collective experiences.
The Statistics
LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020)
The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
“Sexual and gender diverse communities in British Columbia experience significant health disparities when compared to the general population. These disparities are rooted in long-standing social and cultural issues that have served to disadvantage these communities and perpetuate stigma and discrimination” (HEC, pg. 2, 2019).
In Plain Site released in BC, “84% of Indigenous peoples described personal experiences of racism and discrimination that discouraged them from seeking necessary care and that reduced access to care, negatively affecting their health. These outcomes reinforce stereotypes and perpetuate the cycle of inequity”.
The Trevor Project’s research has found that queer youth of colour were 2.5 times more likely to report a suicide attempt in the past year (33%) compared to their LGBTQ peers (14%).
The Trevor Project’s research consistently finds that LGBTQ young people report lower rates of attempting suicide when they have access to LGBTQ-affirming spaces. The Trevor Project’s research has found that LGBTQ youth who reported having at least one LGBTQ-affirming space had 35% reduced odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year — the strongest association being with LGBTQ-affirming schools.
Many programs have created radical alternatives to the mainstream healthcare system (Sharman, 2021). this is the hope for a multidisciplinary center for This Space. A space offering gender-affirming care, mental health support, indigenous wellness and advocacy, connection to culture, education and learning, and case management for BIPOC and queer youth with an organizational structure of staff, peers and volunteers.