Today, the AM platform and GISDA’s LGBTQ+ club are proud to announce a startegic partnership for the next three years.
GISDA is a charity based in Caernarfon which empowers young people via housing, wellness, voice, support and opportunities, and their LGBTQ+ club has existed since 2017. It offers support to young LGBTQ+ people in the form of weekly clubs in Caernarfon, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Pwllheli, which provides a safe and relaxing space for their members to express themselves without obstacles. Recently GISDA has secured further funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to continue with and grow this support over the next three years.
AM is a digital platform that promotes cultural and community life in Wales, which was established in 2020. AM is funded by the Welsh Government and is a website and app, which has grown to reflect the actvity of over 300 creative partners/channels, and has been used by over 282 000 users over the last two years. Going forward, AM’s aim is to secure that Welsh cultural and community-based cultural activity is shared and enjoyed even more broadly, in an accessible and safe manner.
The partnership between AM and GISDA’s LGBTQ+ Club will work in various ways but mainly with the aim of sharing the club’s inspiring work to a wider audience and to use a digital medium to document and share the experiences of the members in a creative way. The Club’s members will also promote the usage of AM and provide feedback about AM’s content and direction in order to ensure that AM’s growth continues to be relevant to their lives.
Siân Tomos, GISDA’s Chief Excecutive says:
“We’re really looking forward to collaborating with AM and are very grateful for this exciting opportunity. AM and GISDA share the same values, especially in relation to the importance of the arts and the Welsh language – two core elements of GISDA’s work in supporting young people. We hope that this partnership opens doors to further opportunities and we’d be happy to discuss that with anyone. Thanks again for the opportunity.”
Alun Llwyd, Chief Executive of AM, added: “It’s an honour to work with the Club to develop the expression and grow the audience of the Club’s inspiring and necessary work. The challenges the members face are formidable and it’s vital that there’s support in place at every level for their work and also in order to inspire other young LGBTQ+ people across Wales to share the work of the GISDA Club.”
GISDA’s LGBTQ+ Club logo will be placed on AM’s homepage from today onwards and its activity will be shared on their new channel on AM.