Volunteering in 2019
The first year of our existence has certainly been a busy one, and we're very much looking forward to our continued growth and increased positive impact of working within the Leeds LGBT+ communities.
The easiest way to support all of our work is by following our social media accounts to increase our reach, and by liking, sharing or retweeting the information we share.
We're always looking to increase our volunteer base to support various projects and opportunities.
Street Engagement Team: Volunteers needed every Friday evening 7pm till 11pm to provide a visible presence between the Freedom Quarter along to Wharf Chambers. No previous knowledge or experience required as a briefing will be provided on the evening covering duties and personal safety, and information to facilitate discussions. For further details on this please watch the short video available on the website homepage.
LGBT+ Hate Crime/Community Safety: We work with West Yorkshire Police & their area Hate Crime Coordinators to increase awareness and reporting of Hate Crime within the LGBT+ community. Part of this is incorporated in participating in the Leeds LGBT+ Hate Crime review group, held 6pm til 8pm in the city centre on an 8 weekly basis (starting 7th January) - these sessions discuss the actions of the police in responding to reported Hate in order to provide constructive feedback for improvements.
British Transport Police: We've already participated in a number of sessions with BTP focused on safety on the rail network and understanding their service in supporting the community in the Freedom Quarter. We work with BTP to support Sparkle/Pride friendly train services during the summer and various engagement opportunities in Leeds train station.
Pop-up engagement stall: These pop-ups are focused on providing the LGBT+ community with static information points to provide advice on social & support groups in Leeds, and in partnership with West Yorkshire Police will be LGBT+ Hate Crime reporting centres. Training will be delivered by WYP for volunteers to support these. The pop-ups are launching initially on the 1st Friday of the month alongside the Leeds First Friday social event in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, with another launching early summer on the 3rd Friday in a venue to be confirmed.
LGBT+ Coffee & Cake Cafe: Our volunteers support the LGBT+ community social space every month (excluding January), hosted in the Priestley Hall of Mill Hill Chapel, 1st Tuesday of the month from 6.30pm til 8.30pm. Whether you're coming along to help, or just to enjoy the coffee & cake we always welcome more people along to join the conversations on the evening.
Leeds Identity Angels: This is our social group for the Trans & Non-binary community with a focus on positive peer support through socialising within the Freedom Quarter, and constructive engagement on developing Trans/NB service provisions in the city. Membership of this group is for the Trans/NB community by joining our Facebook group.
Leeds Freedom Families: We've been working with FFLAG over recent months around the creation of a Leeds based peer support group for family (and friends) of people in the LGBT+ community. This new group will be launching in February 2019, with the aims of championing the LGBT+ community as strong allies along with providing peer support & shared experiences for people who's family members (or friends) have recently 'come out' as LGBT+.
Other ad-hoc opportunities: We also work with a number of other agencies with a focus on safety & support, such as the Leeds Samaritans, Leeds BID and Businesses Against Crime In Leeds (BACIL), which all provide us with various engagement opportunities throughout the year.
If you're interested in getting involved with any of these projects, or just to find out more about the opportunities please use the Contact form on our homepage.
