By Mikayla van Loon
Young people from the Yarra Ranges came together to share their experiences and meet others within the LGBTQIA+ community at the first Rural Rainbows meeting last week.
Held at the Lilydale Youth Hub on Wednesday 13 April, peer mentors joined five Yarra Ranges locals in a safe, fun and inviting opening night of activities.
A spokesperson from the Rural Rainbows group said the first peer support session went well and “everyone had heaps of fun, which is the main aim.”
Icebreakers were used to get to know each other quickly, including the toilet paper game where the number of squares taken equaled the number of facts needing to be told about each person.
“We also sat together and brainstormed about what would make a safe, respectful and fun space for everyone attending.
“Some amazing ideas coming from the young people included ‘There’s no such thing as a fail, but only giving it your best shot’ and ‘Respect people’s abilities, pronouns, personal space and boundaries’.”
The group also made memory wire bracelets from beads and charms, as well as progressive Pride flags out of cardboard and coloured paper.
Peer mentors really encouraged young people to share their ideas of what they would like to do in the future, with some of those being a queer history session, a craft session for IDAHOBIT day and games ‘n chill sessions. An events calendar will be put together by the group and released soon.
As a support group, representatives from Rural Rainbows said it is a space where people can be themselves and have fun, while sharing and laughing together.
“It’s important for anyone and everyone to feel safe, respected and feel like they belong, especially for LGBTQIA+ young folk who so often can feel isolated and alone.
“Rural Rainbows aims to be an inclusive, open and creative social space to give young people an opportunity to connect with their peers and actively create the community that they want to be a part of.”
Having not only a welcoming group of people but also a space to gather that feels safe and inviting was incredibly important to Rural Rainbows.
“The Lilydale Youth Hub is an amazing, welcoming and inclusive space and we are so grateful to them for letting us use their Hub for our activities.
“It’s so important especially in the community sector to have strong collaborations with other like minded organisations, to share information, resources and ideas.
“Connection with both EACH and Lilydale Youth Hub workers means that the young people will have access to many different services that they might need.”
After a successful first session, the Rural Rainbows group is excited about the future and where it could lead in creating services, spaces and events for LGBTQIA+ young people.
“We hope the group continues to grow moving forward. That we can build a thriving, passionate, magical community for LGBTQIA+ young people in the Yarra Ranges.
“The young people involved in creating the Rural Rainbows know all too well the need to have a space where you can be exactly who you are. We want LGBTQIA+ young people to feel seen, heard, respected and connected to their community – let’s celebrate, educate, have fun and grow stronger together.”
Rural Rainbows Peer Group meets every second Wednesday evening from 5pm to 7pm at the Lilydale Youth Hub on Clarke Street. To get involved contact ruralrainbows@each.com.au.
