Give today and help us build a better FUTURE for LGBTQ+ people in Scotland.

**Help Us Support LGBTQ+ Community Changemakers to thrive! **

Right now, LGBTQ+ people are facing a perfect storm of challenges in Scotland.

Hate crime against our community has skyrocketed by 156% in the past four years. 1 in 4 trans people experience direct abuse each month. This relentless hostility is taking a devastating toll with half of LGBTQ+ people experiencing depression, rising to seven in ten for trans people.

In the workplace, 47% of LGBTQ+ people don't feel safe to be out. Those who are visible face three times more discrimination and harassment than those who hide. This creates an impossible choice: authenticity or safety. Many are held back from career progression or leadership roles by internalised stigma and systemic barriers, despite often having more qualifications than our peers.

But there is hope.

Proud Futures developed Scotland's first LGBTQ+ Changemaker and Leadership Programme, which is history making and game changing.

Our 9 month programme is a transformative brave space where queer community changemakers build confidence, develop skills, share resources and connect with a supportive community where friendships last well beyond the programme.

The impact on people is profound.

All 16 participants completed the programme last year and 100% of participants would recommend the programme, describing it as "game-changing" and "the most safe and accepted I've felt in any professional space." Participants have gone to to lead their own community initiatives or social impact projects creating ripples of change across Scotland and beyond, improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Scotland.

We have secured some initial funding, but all of our costs have risen - so we need an additional £5,000 to cover additional programme costs for things like - food and drink, travel, materials, speaker costs and additional support like coaching for the length of the 9 month programme.

Your donation helps LGBTQ+ people access the support, skills, and community they need—not just to survive, but to step into their power and lead the positive change that is so desperately needed.

Every contribution helps build a more confident, connected generation of LGBTQ+ community changemakers who are changing communities, workplaces, social spaces and lives.

Will you help us make this possible?

Give today and help us build a better FUTURE for LGBTQ+ people in Scotland.

Example of costs:

£1,500 - pays for a fully funded place for 1 LGBTQ+ person

£500 - pays for food and drink for all 16 participants for 1 day

£100 - pay for our coaches to provide 121 support to each invididual

£50 - pays for materials costs for one person for the programme

£25 - pays for a return train ticket from Edinburgh to Glasgow

£10 - pays for a daily bus return ticket from within Glasgow

Your Thank-You

The LGBTQ+ Leadership Programme starts on Wednesday 25th March and we will keep you all updated with pictures and video's along with a personal thank you message to each person that helped make this possible.