The Collingwood Youth Centre’s No Judge Club will be returning after a two-year hiatus.
The club – which will be kicking off again on May 2 and will run every Monday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. – is intended to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth to support each other and discuss issues relating to sexual orientation, bullying, racism, gender identity and expression.
“I’ve had conversations with parents over the years who were looking for something like this,” said Lea Pankhurst, community development officer with the Collingwood Youth Centre. “It was important to do it properly. There are many youth who will benefit from a group like this in a space like ours.”
The No Judge Club first started at the Collingwood Youth Centre about a year after opening. The club went on hiatus due to both the pandemic and the previous facilitator stepping away.
Now, two new facilitators have come onboard to run the group.
Pankhurst notes the centre has worked in the past with the South Georgian Bay Rainbow Club and will be involved in this year’s Collingwood Pride festivities.
“We’ve always tried to create a safe space. We continue to have a lot of LGBTQ+ youth come through the centre,” said Pankhurst.
Pankhurst says between 15 and 20 youth regularly attended the club’s meetings prior to the hiatus, and he hopes even more will join up now.
“I try not to gauge things on numbers in relation to success when it comes to programming. Even if there’s one youth who will benefit from something like this, then that’s a win,” he said.
The club is free to join and no pre-registration is required. For more information all of the programs run through the Collingwood Youth Centre, click here.
