Young Person Support

A link worker from our wellbeing team will arrange to meet a young person within their local area or at our safe headquarters based in Ashington, Northumberland or Newcastle upon Tyne, to identify what support is needed, and what form this support will take. Young people often seek somebody out of their immediate circle of friends and family who they feel they can talk to openly and who they will feel will accept them for who they are.

Our link worker will match a member of the team best suited to provide the right level of support. They will also help to find other suitable organisations which offer additional support. Our one-to-one support service is designed to act as early intervention to improve young people’s mental health and wellbeing later on in life.

A young person can either self refer or be referred to Pride Action North by parents or other organisations, such as schools, colleges or others working with young people. We do however,  need the permission of those with parental responsibility to deliver this work.

If you’d prefer, you can contact us via the details on the contact us link at the top of this page.

For professionals referring into our service: Pride Action North is not a substitute for statutory services, we are a holistic service and those seeking medical diagnosis should be referred to their GP or other appropriate pathway.

NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service (Under 18’s)

A referral system operates for under 18s wishing to access NHS gender services in England and Wales. The waiting list is managed by NHS Arden & GEM on behalf of NHS England and you can find out more information at https://www.ardengemcsu.nhs.uk/services/clinical-support/national-referral-support-service-for-the-nhs-gender-incongruence-service-for-children-and-young-people/

The service is for children and young people up to their 18th birthday. Children and young people are transferred across to regional centres in the North West, London and South West in referral date order and as appointments become available.

To ensure children and young people receive the support they need, referrals to the service are from children and young people’s paediatrics and mental health services. GPs are no longer able to refer directly.

The current information from NHS England is that they will continue to appoint up to six additional new specialist regional centres by 2026 – with the next new service in Bristol becoming operational by November 2024 and plans to mobilise a service for the East of England over the course of 2024/25.

Referral pathway for Children and Young People’s Gender Services

Guidance for NHS Community and Hospital Paediatric Services is available at https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/referral-pathway-for-children-and-young-peoples-gender-services-community-and-hospital-paediatric-services/

Treatment for gender dysphoria aims to help people live the way they want to, in their preferred gender identity or as non-binary is available at NHS UK via https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/treatment/

Advice to help you understand what gender identity is and how to support a child is available from the NSPCC at https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/sex-relationships/gender-identity/

As well as LGBTQIA+ specific youth groups, Pride Action North delivers youth work for all young people by running inclusive youth groups and social events.

With statistics showing that one in three young people are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Pride Action North believe that holding only targeted youth groups would be inaccessible to some young people from our community and in particular those that feel they are unable to ‘come out’. 

For more information, view our online calendar or get in touch with a member of our team.

Pride Space is a referral only group in Newcastle for LGBTQIA+ young people who may find social situations overwhelming in partnership with Space to Grow-The Children’s Society. 

Referrals can be made by parent, carers or professionals. Contact Spacenewcastle@ChildrensSociety.org.uk

Upon an accepted referral, details of the location and times of the group will be shared about the Newcastle, city centre location.

Young people can be victims of domestic violence too. If a young person you know has experienced domestic violence themselves or in their homes, then we can support them (Complete our referral form or give us a call for a chat). Should you wish to do so, you can get in touch with Pride Action North confidentially and we will get in touch with that young person using a method of your own choosing.

We work in partnership with Arcus LGBT+ and North East Counselling Service to provide counselling to those who would benefit from this type of specialist support. 

A link worker from Pride Action North will arrange a visit locally or at our office in Northumberland or Newcastle upon Tyne to discuss options with the young person and those with parental responsibility. 

Pride Action North commissions services from Arcus LGBT and North East Counselling Service, you can find out more about these organisations at https://necounselling.org.uk/ and https://arcuslgbt.com/.

If you, or someone you know, thinks that you have been a victim of hate crime, you can speak to a member of the Pride Action North team and we can support you through the process.

If you wish to report the act to the police or an authority, we can act as an advocate and provide the relevant support. We can also support individuals who have already reported the actions to the police. Complete our referral form or give us a call for a chat.

Pride Action North delivers Roaming Roots, a project funded through the Northumberland Inclusive Economy Community Partnership (NIECP) 

The project is designed to engage young people across various community settings in South East Northumberland to address social and economic disparities. The project is strategically targeted towards diverse wards, particularly those with limited provisions and inadequate public transport.

Roaming Roots is a catalyst for youth work, primarily operating on a detached basis to ensure flexibility and responsiveness to community needs. Pride Action North are completing a scoping exercise to determine where resources are best placed from this project.

At the heart of this project is a strong emphasis on collaboration with local stakeholders, aiming to tackle critical issues such as anti-social behaviour, mental health challenges, well-being concerns, and social isolation. If you are interested in working with Pride Action North on this project please email August or Angela. 

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with the North East Combined Authority as the Lead Authority. Northumberland County Council is the Lead Accountable Body for the funding. 

The fund is a substantial fund dedicated to supporting the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in South East Northumberland which is part of a broader £1.5 million initiative aimed at fostering inclusive economic growth and community well-being in South East Northumberland.

Pride Action North listens to young people and, due to popular demand, we organise numerous one-off  events, which are all led by the young people themselves.

If they want a disco or any other specific activity, we look at how we can make this possible and search for adequate funding to make it happen. Keep up to date with our latest activities by viewing our online calendar and our social media updates.

Check out our 2023 zine created by LGBTQIA+ communities, mostly children and young people from across Pride Action North – Pride on the Road events in 2022. Download the Pride Action North Community Zine here.

You can also find a text description of the 2023 Pride Action North Community Zine here.

akt

akt support LGBTQ+ young people aged 16-25 at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness, or living in a hostile environment.

They host centres that are open for referrals in Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol. They also offer digital support across the UK with live chat which is open to offer remote support to those living elsewhere in the country. Find out more here.

Mortal Fools

Mortal Fools is a multi-award winning theatre, drama and creative learning organisation based in Northumberland. They work with children and young people using drama and creative interventions to support their wellbeing and personal development. The charity has bases in Ashington and Prudhoe, you can find out more about Mortal Fools here. 

Galop

Galop is a national charity who support LGBTQIA+ people who have experienced violence and abuse. Galop host the National Helpline for LGBT+ Victims and Survivors of Abuse and Violence which is 0800 999 5428, you can find out more about Galop here.

Washington Mind

An LGBTQIA+ group for 13-17 year olds meet 4.30-6.30 every Wednesday at Washington Mind. The Life House, Grasmere Terrace, Washington, NE38 7LP. Find out more by emailing ypp@washingtonmind.org.uk or visiting here.

Curious Arts

Curious Arts is a North East England based charity that champions LGBTQIA+ arts, artists and communities.

The charity hosts youth activities below:

Sunderland Youth Group for 11-15 year olds, monthly at Sunderland Library, SR1 2PP, 10am-12pm. This is the first of a monthly session usually every Saturday at the same time, the venue may change. 

Newcastle Youth Music Group for 12-18 year olds. The group meets weekly on Tuesday evenings at Gosforth Civic Theatre OR One Strawberry Lane from 5:30pm-7:30pm (optional jam session until 8pm). 

Newcastle Youth Group for 11-15 year olds, monthly at Dance City, 2pm – 4pm.

Middlesborough & Tees Valley Youth Group for 11-15 year olds at Middlesborough Town Hall, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Curious Arts host numerous events and sessions throughout the year, you can keep up to date by visiting their website here or following them on social media.

Switchboard LGBT+

Switchboard is the national LGBTQIA+ support line. For anyone, anywhere in the country, at any point in their journey. Find out more here, call 0800 0119 100 10am-10pm every day or use the chat and email facilities at their website.

People Like Us (PLUS group)

PLUS (People Like US) is a safe space for people under 19 in Gateshead who are wanting or needing support relating to their gender or sexuality. 

They offer a non-judgemental and supportive place to come every Wednesday evening here.

Mermaids

Mermaids is a national charity supporting trans, non binary and gender-questioning children and young people. Find out more by visiting their website here.

PAPYRUS

Papyrus is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide and host a project in Newcastle supporting young people and host the HOPELINE247, staffed by trained suicide prevention advisers, who work with young people – and anybody concerned for a young person – to help keep them safe from suicide. Find out more here.

Samaritans

If you need someone to talk to, Samaritans are there to listen and won’t judge or tell you what to do. Call anytime 116 123.