A NEW LGBTQ+ youth group is being set up for young people in Shipley and the surrounding areas.

Bradford Council’s Youth Service launched the group on Friday in Shipley town centre is part of a programme of activities in celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month.

The new weekly group, which will take place every Friday between 5 and 7pm, will provide a safe, confidential space for young people aged 13 – 19 to explore their sexuality and gender identities.

Youth workers from Bradford Council will support the development of this group with local young people to ensure that LGBTQ+ youth have better access to information, support and opportunities within the Bradford district.

The council’s Youth Service currently works alongside the Equity Partnership, an LGBTQ+ charity organisation based in Bradford city centre, to deliver LGBTQ+ youth groups in Bradford and Keighley.

Qualified youth workers support the running of these groups and provide LGBTQ+ young people the chance to meet with their peers, share stories, gain access to support, learn about themselves and their identities.

It provides young people with a space to develop self-confidence, as well as increase opportunities for them to engage in national and local LGBTQ+ events, such as LGBTQ+ History Month and Bradford and Keighley Pride events.

Councillor Richard Dunbar, Bradford Council’s LGBTQ+ Champion, said: “We are really excited about the launch of this new youth group in Shipley, which has been developed due the need for a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth in the Shipley area. Although all our youth provisions provide support for LGBTQ+ young people, it’s particularly important to have a specific safe space for LGBTQ+ youth, as they are more likely to experience problems with mental health, feel suicidal or experience homelessness, due to rejection from family or from bullying compared to non LGBTQ+ youth.

“They often have little to no positive messaging about being LGBTQ+ and experience homophobic and transphobic slurs, so having these spaces allows young people to gain a greater understanding of themselves and society and provides better access to support services.”

Councillor Abdul Jabar, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: "There are already LGBTQ+ Youth Groups running in Bradford and Keighley, so it's great that we are able to open this new one in Shipley, so that young people living in and around the town have access to a similar safe space and the support and information they need."

To find out more about these LGBTQ+ youth groups, information can be found on the Equity partnership website www.equitypartnership.org.uk or by contacting sound@bradford.gov.uk