Freedom Zone: Celebrating 7 years of support. 

From its origins as a small youth group, Freedom Zone has grown into one of County Durham's leading LGBTQ+ youth support groups. Located in Pact House, at the heart of Stanley, young people from all over the area band together once a fortnight for an evening of fun, games and activities, all with the peace of mind that they will be welcomed with open arms. 

Founded in 2016 by Julie Morton and with the help from SHAID, a youth homeless charity, Freedom Zone was created to help queer youth feel like themselves by providing access to support from both their peers and from dedicated youth workers who can offer relevant and up to date information and guidance.  As the group reaches such a wide range of people, Freedom Zone prides itself on helping young people connect with like minded people and help them feel more comfortable in their own skin. 

Sharon, the current leader of the group, explained that “Youth groups like Freedom Zone are really important, especially now as LGBTQ+ rights are being pushed back and NHS treatments such as CAMHS counselling and gender clinics have very long waiting lists with no support available before first appointments'. The group are a well established part of the community and are frequently involved in local community projects such as art exhibitions and attend Durham pride annually. 

It is clear that for many queer young people support is difficult to come by which is why youth clubs like this play such an instrumental role in the community. Recently, Freedom Zone has attracted a lot of interest and not just from the young people! While there may have been an increase in the number of young people attending, particularly transgender and non-binary youth, the group has also seen more and more interest from “the community, funders and schools, as well as other youth groups”.

This year, Freedom Zone celebrates its seventh birthday and will only grow from here. With such a profound impact it has had on the young people it helps, youth clubs like this one have only risen in importance and Freedom Zone will continue to provide the necessary support for young people across the county.