Community Psychology Commons^™

Exposing The Needs Of An Invisible Community: Queer Youth In Kitchener-Waterloo, Meghan Kenny

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Using a participatory action research approach, and a steering committee composed of stakeholders from the community, this thesis focused on identifying the needs of queer youth in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. Multiple methods were used including focus groups, key informant interviews, and an online survey. A total of 31 participants were involved in this study including youth between the ages of 16 and 25 (who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning, or unsure), parents of queer youth and other community members. Barriers to queer youth wanting to access resources were addressed and strategies to overcome them are offered. In addition, suggestions …