This one’s from our Service Coordinator, Kavita.

To the Volunteers of LGBT Youth Line,

I haven’t known you very long. It’s really just been over a month. But in that time, I have witnessed some of the amazing things that you do. In case you’re ever down or you forget, here’s a list of some of the things you do that I really appreciate:

- You listen. Sometimes when no one else does.
- You make space for people to share and be themselves. On the lines and in the service room.
- You challenge. Yourselves, chatters, each other. You challenge norms and stereotypes and ideas.
- You laugh. And through your laughter you heal.
- You ask questions. Important ones that people need to be asked.
- You talk. About how you feel, what you think, and what you need.
- You build. Relationships with each other, ideas, solutions.
- You support each other. You check in, debrief, BLS.
- You share. Knowledge, skills, stories.
- You eat lots of food. Food is the best.

The importance of these acts should not be underestimated. They are part of building and taking care of community and ourselves. I really appreciate you all doing this every week, it’s hard work to be self-reflexive, engaging and supporting others, making space for ourselves and our peers to be and live as we desire. It’s a challenge that you all take on and one that I feel so lucky to be able to support you in. I’ve already learned so much from all of you in my short time here and am really excited about continuing to build up our communities in ways that are accessible to all in the future.

Here’s to you and all that you do !

Love,
Kavita

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week !

For the next few days, we’ll be posting some notes of appreciation from LGBT Youth Line staff to our Service Volunteers ! The first one is from one of our Shift Supervisors, JP.

–

Dear lovely volunteers,

On this Volunteer Appreciation Week, I express my love and thanks to you for all the work you do in the most glorious way I know how: through the immortal words of the fabulously over-the-top songstress Celine Dion.

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I’ll be forever thankful baby
You’re the one who held me up, never let me fall
You’re the one who saw me through — through it all

[Here, have a listen to the Glee version]

Please know that while I am around only sporadically, I look forward to every shift I do have. I love catching up with you and I love hearing your stories. Most of all, I love bearing witness to the fantastic work that you do – you provide a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a pat on the back, a big hug, a comforting word, a resource, an “I am here”. You are consummate students, willing to both learn and unlearn. Some of the most inspiring moments I will forever treasure are those challenging moments that force us to question our most cherished beliefs and subsequently to grow as people. I thank you for your willingness to go through these growing pains with me, with your peers and with the Youth Line. The Province of Ontario and its LGBTQ youth are better off for it.

We find ourselves at a critical moment, when we are increasingly read as legible citizens by the state and the market. Yes, many – but, by no means, all – of us can increasingly get married and see versions of ourselves in primetime TV. Meanwhile, queers of colour, trans youth, and homeless and underhoused youth continue to be most vulnerable to structural violence. Our service’s reach throughout the province also remains uneven, though we are doing a lot to fix this. Globally, we are seeing a resurgence of homophobic violence, rooted in histories of colonialism and fueled in many ways by Western Christian evangelicalism. And, in geopolitical and development practice, “our” rights are increasingly used to deny the freedoms of others. Foreign aid is now increasingly tied to gay friendliness, punishing people on the ground for persistent and long term transnational and imperial circuits of religious and state homophobia. Gay rights are also used heavily in the service of settler colonialism, justifying theft of land, forced displacement and cultural genocide such that the rainbow flag and the nation-state flag can now fly together.

It is clear to me that there is still much work to be done. Knowing full well your capacity to learn and to lead, my thanks to you also comes with a challenge: to think about what a more just future looks like beyond the ‘new normal’, and to work towards that vision.

Here’s to you and to that more just future.

Much love,
JP