Gab is a cool place where youths can kick back and talk with friends. It’s also a great place to meet people that have similar questions about sexual orientation or gender identity. During drop-in times, there are always cool volunteers and other youths who would love to hear about your life.

 

What we do at Drop-ins
  • youth participate in program planning
  • arts and crafts including sculpting, collage making and linoleum prints
  • workshops on unlearning racism, self-defense, body image/fat-phobia, theatre skills, drugs, safer sex, school issues, relationships, etc.
  • rune readings
  • movie and pizza nights
  • guest speakers from other queer groups and relevant service
  • screen videos for the Out On Screen Festival
  • brainstorm for promotion ideas
  • board games
  • story telling
  • preparetion for the Pride Parade
  • bowling
  • parties and holiday events
  • hanging out in coffee shops
  • scavenger hunts
  • hanging out at the beach
  • <your suggestions here>

Contacts
Anisha Abdulla - Program Coordinator         [email protected]

Anisha organizes the administrative stuff at Gab. She deals with the budget, reporting to funders and making sure that Gab is connected to other community groups. Anisha works with youth from the drop-ins to make sure that LGTBQ youth have a voice in the issues that affect them.

 
Lydia Luk & Chris Buchner -  Youth Workers

[email protected]

Lydia & Chris organize youth activities, provide one-to-one support, and refer youths to other useful services. They work with youths to plan stuff for the drop-ins and special events like dances, ‘field trips’, etc.. Lydia and Chris also works with youth volunteers to facilitate workshops on queer youth issues.

 
Anisha, Lydia and Chris are available during the week to chat and answer questions.

For Gab events, check out our Calender of Events or contact Gab at 604-684-4901 or email: gabyouth@ lgtbcentrevancouver.com

PrideSpeak - An Interactive Anti-Homophobia Workshop

PrideSpeak is an interactive workshop by youth about sexual orientation, gender identity, and combating discrimination. The goal of the workshop is to provide accurate and non-judgemental information about sexual orientation and gender identity by having lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ) youth speak about their experiences. Youth facilitate various exercises to help participants understand homophobia/transphobia/biphobia and heterosexism – a truly youth-driven process!

It is important to note that participants are not required to abandon their personal religious or moral beliefs, but are asked to re-evaluate behaviour that would lead to harming or discriminating against LGBTQ people. Our goal is to help schools and other youth services become places in which people from all backgrounds and belief systems can be respectful of each other's differences and learn together.

Workshops can be tailored to the needs of specific groups of students, teachers, service providers, and other workers that would benefit from sensitivity training around LGBTQ youth.

PrideSpeak is offered from a sliding scale of $0 to $200, depending on what the organization can afford and the length of the workshop. For more information, please contact Gab Youth Services

 

Coming Out to Family
If you're thinking about coming out to your family there's Some Questions to Think About
(adapted from Coming Out to Parents, by PFLAG)

Are you sure about your sexual orientation or gender identity?
If you are just starting to acknowledge your feelings, it is probably better to get some answers to your own questions before having to deal with the reactions of close friends and family.

Are you comfortable with your sexual orientation or gender identity?
If you are wrestling with feelings of guilt and periods of depression, you’ll be better off waiting. Coming out to family may require tremendous energy and strength.

Do you have support?
If your family’s reaction devastates you, there should be someone that you can turn to for emotional support.

What is the emotional climate at home?
If you have the choice about when to tell, consider the timing. Choose a time when your family is not dealing with other major emotional issues.

Can you be patient?
Give your family time to get used to the new information. Don’t be discouraged if it takes months or years to re-establish your relationships.

What is your motive for coming out now?
Hopefully, it is because you love them and are uncomfortable with the distance you feel. Never come out in anger or during an argument. If you come out in order to hurt someone, it will make it really hard for them to be supportive.

Are you financially dependent on your family? 
If you suspect that your family will force you out of the house or cut off other types of financial support, you may want to wait until they don’t have this power over you.

What is your general relationship with your family?
If you’ve always had a good relationship and have always known their love and shared your love for them in return – chances are they’ll be able to deal with the issue in a positive way.

What is their moral societal view?
Think about how your family deals with other issues. If they tend to see social issues in clear terms of good/bad or holy/sinful, you may expect that they will have serious problems dealing with your sexuality. If, however, they are flexible about other changing societal matters, you may be able to anticipate a willingness to work this through with you.

Is this your decision?
Realizing that you might be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered does not mean that you must come out to your family. Don’t be pressured into coming out to family if you’re not sure you’ll be better off by doing so.