By Shaun Penner

AHS hosting presentation on Gender and Sexual Minority Youth

Jan 13, 2019 | 6:00 AM

Alberta Health Services is offering a free presentation for Gender and Sexual Minority Youth on Monday evening in Grande Prairie. It is for any member of the public who is seeking support or resources for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Mental health therapist Nicole Marshall, who has been working with the community for over 10 years, will lead the event with the intention of providing a safe space for residents to have respectful conversation about gender and sexual minority young people.

Over her career, Marshall has worked with teachers and administrators within the school system on how to support minority youth. However, Marshall noticed there were not many resources for parents of minority youth to turn to.

“Part of the drive behind this is that I have been getting lots of people who reach out saying ‘what about these parents? Where do they go?’” said Marshall. “I truly believe that all parents want to support their kids, and they can only do as well as they can with the knowledge they have.”

Marshall notes that minority youth that need specialized services need to travel far distances to get the care and support they need.

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“There aren’t a lot of specific services for that population in our area. There are gender clinics in Edmonton and Calgary, but for the North when I work with kids, if they need to be referred to specialized psychiatry services, they would have to travel that far.” Explained Marshall. “So that requires parents or caregivers to get them there, which creates a barrier for support.”

The presentation will help with differentiating between sexual orientation and gender identity, and provide the most current information in working with, and supporting youth.

“I’m hoping whoever is out there that needs this information is able to come. Whether they are on their own, with a parent or with a friend. I want to get people educated and informed so there are more people in the community with this information.”

The presentation will start at 6:30 PM at the Grande Prairie Public School District, located at 10127 120 Ave in Grande Prairie.