{"id":77098,"date":"2022-06-09T17:12:59","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T21:12:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bgccan.com\/?p=77098"},"modified":"2026-04-23T21:52:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T21:52:57","slug":"bgc-strathcona-county-gemstones-program-offers-support-to-2s-lgbtqia-community-and-allies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bgccan.com\/en\/bgc-strathcona-county-gemstones-program-offers-support-to-2s-lgbtqia-community-and-allies\/","title":{"rendered":"BGC Strathcona County \u201cGemstones\u201d program offers support to 2S & LGBTQIA+ community and allies"},"content":{"rendered":"

BGC Strathcona County<\/a> (formerly Boys and Girls Club of Strathcona County), <\/span>located <\/span>in Alberta, <\/span>has <\/span>created a <\/span>barrier-free program <\/span>called Gemstones where 2S & LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies can have a space to learn, grow, and be authentic.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Gemstones<\/span><\/span> has been the Club\u2019s most in demand program (both online and in-person) since its creation.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The <\/span><\/span>Gemstones program team<\/span><\/span> has<\/span> handled organizing Pride Month activities for youth at their CanTeen <\/span>location and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>has <\/span>supported initiatives like certifying the CanTeen location as \u201cTransFriendly\u201d approved.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Gemstones<\/span> has been recognized across all the high schools and junior high schools in the area and has <\/span>been supported by mental and physical health institutions found in Strathcona County as a reliable space for youth to flourish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Local community organizations <\/span>including <\/span>Altview<\/span>, <\/span>Saffron, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Treatment <\/span>Center<\/span>, and the Strathcona County Mental Health Capacity Builders have provided resources and encouragement to round out the Gemstones program.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mental health is a priority in the Gemstones program and <\/span>w<\/span>ith the help of <\/span>community supporters, they<\/span> have<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>found a <\/span>s<\/span>eat at the table <\/span>w<\/span>hen it comes to youth mental health in Strathcona County.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Thank you to Best Buy Canada<\/a> for helping BGC Canada<\/a> celebrate Pride month and amplify stories of 2S & LGBTQIA+ youth, staff, and volunteers at their Clubs<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BGC Strathcona County (formerly Boys and Girls Club of Strathcona County), located in Alberta, has created a barrier-free program called Gemstones where 2S & LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies can have a space to learn, grow, and be authentic. Gemstones has been the Club\u2019s most in demand program (both online and in-person) since its creation. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[279,798,88,799,260,800,145],"class_list":["post-77098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bgc-news","tag-2s-lgbtqia","tag-best-buy-canada","tag-bgc-canada","tag-bgc-strathcona-county","tag-mental-health","tag-pride-month","tag-youth"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t