connect 2017 • 41 ‘‘ I was being bullied and ended up quitting school. I had a safe space in BeLonG To to access information and find people to talk to. I just started up college in September to continue with my education. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t come to BeLonG To. – Raz, age 23 ” Navigating the twists and turns of growing up is hard. For LGBT youth, navigat- ing those twists and turns can be even harder. Homophobic and Transphobic bullying, fear of family rejection and identity exploration are challenges that can take a toll on mental and emotional health. Sadly, higher rates of self-harm and suicide are facts for many LGBT young people across Ireland. BeLonG To is Ireland’s national organization for LGBT young people between the ages of 14 and 23. Across Ireland the organization works to create inclu- sive, safe space for those young people to find support and access information. In addition, their website fields thousands of emails and calls from families and young people seeking those things as well. A caller may be a mom who has no idea how to respond to her daughter who has just come out, or a transgender young person who is experiencing violence at home. Regardless, Be- LonG To is there on the other end of the line to support and advise. BeLonG To also provides education and outreach to Irish schools to create a more positive and wel- coming environment to LGBT youth. The “Stand Up” Campaign to address bullying has been supported by The Ireland Funds. Now, 2,000 teachers use BeLonG To resources in the classroom annually reaching over 123,000 Irish schoolchildren. Awareness has increased around the damage caused by Homophobic and Trans- phobic bullying and many schools have reported a de- crease in all types of bullying thanks to the Campaign. Irish society is undoubtedly becoming more aware and supportive of its LGBT community. Ireland was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage by popular vote when the Marriage Referendum was passed easily in 2015. The movement for marriage equality brought the diaspora home en masse to cast votes that resulted in a milestone for the country. Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny stated, “A majority of people in this republic have stood up for them [those in the gay community]. In the privacy of the ballot box, the people made a public statement. With today’s vote, we have disclosed who we are. We are a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people who say yes to inclusion, yes to generosity, yes to love, yes to gay mar- riage.” BeLonG To’s lobbying and support of the marriage equality movement increased its visibility and thus, the number of young people coming to seek support and services. “We just exploded after the marriage referendum campaign,” explains Oisin O’Reilly of BeLonG To. “We are trying to cope with those numbers because we can’t turn young people away. Some young people walk up and down the street here before they pluck up the cour- age to come in. That moment is when we have to be here for them. So much of our work goes into mental health from resilience-building to early intervention right through to when a young person is in real crisis and needs additional services.” That increase in needs has resulted in additional support from The Ireland Funds to further BeLonG To’s mental health offerings. At 24 youth groups across Ireland, LGBT young people can gather to talk, be themselves and avail of peer support and professional services that address their mental health needs. “We have the only LGBT drug and alcohol harm addiction youth officer in the country here,” says Oisin. “We have special youth workers who work specifically with young trans non-binary people. We have a huge variety of different skills here and we cater as much as we can to a young person’s needs. Mental health is complicated for everybody but for young LGBT people it can have unique patterns and we address that. I would say to The Ireland Funds’ donors that through their philanthropy they have certainly transformed the lives of hundreds of young peo- ple and saved the lives of many of them as well.”