The Nova Scotia government is teaming up with the Youth Project to create a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBTQ2 students at schools across the province.

The Youth Project is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing youth under the age of 25 with support and services related to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The government is providing $750,000 over three years to help the advocacy group deliver programs, training, and workshops for youth, teachers and staff.

“Safe and inclusive learning environments are essential to children and youth’s engagement and success in school,” said Zach Churchill, Nova Scotia’s minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, at Wednesday’s announcement at Citadel High School in Halifax.

“When they feel validated, affirmed and secure, their ability to learn and achieve is significantly enhanced.”

In 2017 and 2018, the Youth Project provided workshops that reached more than 13,000 students, and worked with teachers so they are better able to support LGBTQ2 students.

Churchill says the funding will allow the organization to expand its reach across Nova Scotia, especially in rural communities.

Kate Shewan, the executive director of the Youth Project, says the funding is important because LGBTQ2 students in Nova Scotia often face stigma, discrimination, harassment, and bullying, and sometimes feel unsafe in their schools.

“Obviously that’s not a great learning environment. As a result, we often see queer students skipping or dropping out of school,” said Shewan.

“They deserve to have their identity validated and to be treated with respect in their schools. They deserve to have a school curriculum that includes their experiences and to see themselves reflected in their classroom and their lessons.”

Hanely Smith, the leader of the They/Them, Gay and Straight Alliance at Citadel High School, says the work of the Youth Project has changed their life and the culture at their school.

“For a while I wasn’t out at home because it wasn’t a safe place to be, but I was out at school because it was a safer place to be, but I still was really scared in a lot of situations to come out to teachers and students around me,” said Smith. “So being able to be out at my school more openly with a new and educated group means that more students like me will be able to have at least one safe place where they’re comfortable and happy.”

The Youth Project has been supporting LGBTQ2 youth in Nova Scotia since 1993.