A residential summer programme for transgender youth is searching for crowdfunding to provide a safe space to have fun.

Summer camps for children are usually segregated by gender, putting transgender youth in awkward positions and limiting options for social interaction during the season. Gendered Intelligence, a community interest company that supports trans youth, is attempting to combat this with a trans youth residential including everything from kayaking to raft building as well as informal games and social interacting that help trans youth gain important personal and outdoor skills. The residential provides a safe space for all gender identities expressed by youth.

Jay Stewart, co-founder of Gendered Intelligence, comments: ‘As with most activities, running residentials is costly and money can be tight for LGBT people, especially transgender people. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey in the US, trans people were twice as likely to be unemployed and one in five reported being homeless at some point in their lives.

‘Providing resources and safe spaces for trans people that are affordable is critical.’

Previous residentials have seen 15-20 trans youth attending at a cost of £300 a head. This year they have already signed up 20 people, with 10 on the waiting list. But to support and cover all of the youth, GI needs £5,000 in donations.

‘Our summer residential really gives our young trans members a safe space to be themselves and a chance to have a positive experience with other trans youth, to make new friends and to strengthen old ones,’ adds Stewart. ‘Come rain or shine the most fun will be had cooking over an open fire, having heart to hearts, laughing and bonding. It just may be that this quite simple opportunity for our young people could actually be life changing.’

To donate to the camping residential crowdfunding effort, click here.