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OUTSaskatoon: Supporting Youth During Pride and Beyond

Pride Flag

Pride Month is powerful — and it’s more than just a celebration. It’s recognized around the world as a time to honour and celebrate the strength and accomplishments of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. It also celebrates the ongoing efforts to support equal rights, which empower people to live fully, freely, and openly.

But more than this, Pride is also a call to action. It’s a reminder that building inclusive, safe, and respectful spaces takes ongoing work from all of us.

This is why the Medavie Foundation is proud of its partnership with OUTSaskatoon. 

As part of our commitment to build healthy, thriving communities, the Medavie Foundation has partnered with OUTSaskatoon to help improve youth mental health and ensure that 2SLGBTQIA+ youth have access to the support and services they need.

Partnership spotlight

OUTSaskatoon supports 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and their families through free, short-term mental health counselling programs for those aged 12 to 25. With the mission of creating a bolder, braver, and safer future, they work to ensure young people have consistent access to the support they need by providing support services, youth housing, and education.  

More than just a service provider, OUTSaskatoon is dedicated to ensuring equity and inclusion, addressing the barriers to accessing care while creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone.  

OUTSaskatoon

“OUTSaskatoon’s model of instilling accessible and affirming care validates their participants’ identities, guarantees a sense of belonging, and improves their overall wellbeing. This approach recognizes that these are absolute necessities for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.”

- Andrea Elliott, Director of Social Responsibility and the Medavie Foundation. -

A participant’s story  

“Empathy is more powerful than some may have you believe,” says a dedicated program participant at OUTSaskatoon. After joining counselling sessions at the organization, everything around her started to make more sense and she discovered a true sense of belonging.  

“To begin with an understatement, being transgender is difficult,” the participant tells us. “To me, the support I have received from my counsellor and OUTSaskatoon has been anything but small.”

- Program participant -

Before joining the counselling program, this program participant struggled with their gender identity and was looking for a place to explore who they are and receive mental health support.  

When she was connected to OUTSaskatoon, everything changed. 

“The one place I could go where I felt like I could be myself was OUTSaskatoon. My counsellor didn't try to tell me who I should be like everyone else had up to this point; she saw me for who I was,” she adds. “The support I've received for my identity has served to make me a more confident and better person.”

- Program participant -

Through OUTSaskatoon’s programming and counselling, participants have access to a wide variety of mental health groups, including: 

  • support clubs for queer and trans people
  • sessions on navigating transitioning
  • queer art therapy

We spoke with Anna Noura Kuhlmann, a youth counsellor at OUTSaskatoon, to talk about why these programs matter.

“The support from the Medavie Foundation has allowed us to provide low-barrier counselling which is essential and crucial in a province where free, easy-to-access, and safe counselling and support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is scarce.”

- Anna Noura Kuhlmann, Youth Counsellor, OUTSaskatoon -

Allyship all year long 

Helping youth feel safe, supported, and valued is key to creating lasting change beyond Pride Month. 

The Medavie Foundation is proud to partner with OUTSaskatoon to help provide youth mental health counselling and remains committed to building healthier communities where every young person can thrive.  

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