Fellow gay Oscar Wilde might once have said “I am not young enough to know everything” but even the young need to challenge their preconceptions from time to time. One of the most satisfying happenings this winter for the NRC was the visit to our Centre by several groups of young people ranging in age from around 14 to 18 as part of the SELB’s Drugs Alcohol and Sexual Health Programme (DASH). If you ever needed your hopes boosted for the future here was the very tonic. The Youth Groups came from as far away as Cookstown and as near as Warrenpoint and Burren.
It was obvious that not very many of the enthusiastic visitors had ever been in the situation before, in a room with so many gay people, where they had to stop and think for a moment what life would be like for a Lesbian Gay or Bisexual person in their area or even in their school. They certainly weren’t afraid to ask questions and there were some very constructive in-depth discussions indeed. From growing up gay and getting through school, to coming out, to what a Civil Partnership was like, it was all covered and more.
It was interesting to note that some of the most relaxed and open view points came from young people who lived in country areas and not from towns where you would have expected people to be more open to difference. It really is something else to know that you have given a complete cross section of young folk food for thought and maybe planted the seeds of something they will take home, discuss with their friends and hopefully help make life easier for any of their peers they might meet along the way, who may just happen to be gay themselves. It certainly was good to be able to paint our community in it’s true light. Thanks to Rab McGrogan for making it happen.
It’s maybe sad to think that our young people in this day and age still have so little knowledge about what it’s like to be gay growing up or of the assistance there is available to them if needed, even though chances are they all have gay friends – but they just don’t know it! This really is where most of the work needs to be done. There are still far too many of our young people who have a real difficult time coping with ‘being different’ during a period that’s supposed to be the ‘best years of their lives’ even though for some it ends up being the worst!
The Newry Rainbow Community has formed the NRC Youth Group who meet regularly at the NRC Centre at 82a Hill Street. If you are between 14 and 21 and would like to get involved feel free to join their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/nrcyouth call in to the centre or email us.
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