Lucie and Nicki launched The Gap Youth Club in June 2010 as part of the Wandsworth Council Youth Service.

The Gap Youth Club is now delivered in partnership between Free2B Alliance and Wandsworth Youth Service. The Gap provides a safe, social space for LGBTQ+ youth aged 13-19 (and up to 25 for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities). The club has supported over 350 young people since its launch and offers a wide range of youth curriculum workshops and sessions covering both mainstream youth and LGBTQ+ specific topics. We run off-site trips and residentials including attendance at London Pride, Brighton Pride and Trans Pride. We also invite organisations and speakers to join us, with recent guests including: Stonewall, Link LGBT Network, Street Doctors and BAC Queer Hub.

Sadly many of our members are not out, or they have been rejected when coming out and The Gap is the only place they can truly be themselves. Our continued aim is to support our members to be proud of who they are and to help them become active citizens with the confidence to challenge homophobia, biphobia & transphobia.

To promote emotional well-being we have a monthly art therapy session delivered by a qualified therapist as well as a volunteer available fortnightly to speak with members on a 1:1 or group basis to provide emotional well-being advice and guidance and sign post to relevant organisations for further support.

If you are a young person or professional wishing to refer to The Gap, please contact us: nicki@free2b-alliance.org.uk | 07884 425 408

Free2Talk is our 1:1 mentoring service for LGBTQ+ young people aged 13-18. We provide a safe space for young people to explore their situations and develop the necessary skills and strategies to manage the difficulties they face.

• Increasing self-esteem
• Building personal resilience
• Improving wellbeing

Based in Wandsworth, South West London and available to any young person who can access the borough.

Our Rainbow Power youth council have been busy working on their project ‘LGBTQ+ Matters’. They have been creating a range of resources to encourage professionals working with young people to be more LGBTQ+ aware and inclusive.  The resources include a flyer promoting trans inclusion targeted to GPs; pens, post-its, stickers and coasters with key messaging; pronoun badges; and a flyer highlighting 5 simple steps to improve practice.

As part of the project, they have also written, directed and produced a short film clip aimed at teachers. It parodies a series of Government adverts encouraging people into teaching, instead demonstrating the negative impact school can have on LGBTQ+ pupils as well as highlighting the 5 simple steps that can make all the difference.

We are immensely proud of their hard work and vision to create such a powerful resource. Please do view their film

We are also extremely proud that four of our members are part of a UK-Wide youth forum set up to look at improving mental health. The TRIUMPH Youth Advisory Group kicked off in 2019 with a three day residential in Glasgow to meet with work with the other participating youth groups.