RainbowYOUTH is an organisation based on providing support, information, advocacy for young queer and gender diverse (LGBTIQ) people up to the ages of 28. Additionally, we have services to support the friends and whānau of queer and trans* youth, as well as their schools and others that work with them.
At RainbowYOUTH, we’re about fostering a safe, inclusive, accepting and diverse family environment. We are drug, smoke, and alcohol free.
CORE SERVICES:
Drop-in centre open 11am – 5pm on weekdays that provides a safe, warm and friendly environment for queer & gender diverse young people. We have tea, coffee, snacks, free internet and a library of queer and gender diverse books and DVDs.
Support is an important tenant of RY’s services. Our Support Coordinator is a trained youth worker who works to support queer & gender diverse young people with the challenges they may be facing – such as accessing health care, coming out to their friends and family, or feeling safe in their school.
Peer-support groups run around Auckland & in Whangarei and Tauranga. Our groups are a place where queer and trans* youth can meet others like themselves and relax in a friendly and inclusive environment. You can find out more about our groups here. Those who are not from Auckland can check out the national directory of queer and trans* youth groups on Curious.
Education is one of RY’s core focuses. We’ve run our education programme for 15 years in high schools around Auckland. Our education workshops cover the basics of sexuality and gender, as well as generating practical solutions to homophobia and transphobia in school environments. You can find more about our workshops here.
Our Professional Development courses are open to anyone who would like to learn more about diverse sexualities and gender identities and how they can approach homophobia and transphobia in the workplace. Our courses cover the fundamentals of sexuality and gender identity, how homophobia, transphobia and discrimination affect people, what you can do about discrimination in your environment, the coming out process and the opportunity to hear a range of personal stories from queer and trans* young people. You can find our more by emailing:
Our resource distribution project, I’m Local is focused on providing information and resources about gender and sexuality all over New Zealand – with a specific focus on rural areas, high schools, community organisations and health care providers. If you want to order some free posters and resources for your centre, fill in our resource request form!
Email us at or head over to the Contact Us page for more details about us and our services.