Funds to help the GLBTI community

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The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) has been awarded a Healthy Equal Youth (HEY) Grant of $22,280 by the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria and Mary Wooldridge the State Minister for Mental Health.

The funds have been provided for a project aimed at reducing the negative health impacts on the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (GLBTI) community, particularly in relation to its effects on younger community members.

The project which was initiated by the JCCV GLBTI Reference Group will involve Jewish and non-Jewish GLBTI experts and mental health professionals and aims to raise awareness in the community about the negative impacts of misinformation, exclusion, harassment and vilification in people who are same sex attracted and gender/sex diverse.

HEY Grants are part of the $4 million Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (GLBTI) suicide prevention investment by the Victorian Government. The grants help community groups undertake innovative projects to promote good mental health and capacity building activities with young people in their communities.

The JCCV project is planned to include a communications campaign, video and ultimately conference to be developed with the help of young people that will shift attitudes and understanding. The aim is to build a robust and inclusive community for all across the Victorian Jewish secular, Progressive, Conservative and Orthodox community.

Nina Bassat AM, President of the JCCV, said, “We believe that social inclusion and the health & welfare of our community members are of paramount importance. The video will help raise awareness amongst the overall Jewish community of the mental health impacts on the GLBTI community of abuse, harassment and intolerance.”