Youth Pride

Youth Pride

Thank you to everyone who participates in and supports our Youth Pride festival and Drag Queen Storytime. 

And a huge thnk you to all the volunteers and community partners — we couldn’t do it without you! Youth Pride 2025 was our best event yet, with a day packed full of amazing entertainment, and great information at the Resource Village featuring dozens of community service organizations, police, paramedics, the fire department, teachers and more all there to share information and fun activities in support of those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, their friends, family and allies.

Other activies included:

Gambit the Magician

Living Room Community Art Studio

Sensory space, presented by The Snooze Room

Durham Transit Pride bus

Food Drive for Durham Alliance Outreach Pantry

Drag Queen Storytime

Throughout June, we partered for the seventh year with all eight Durham Region public libraries to present Drag Queen Storytime featuring stories and songs celebrating diversity and inclusion for children and their caregivers. Each of the eight events were wonderfully entertaining and still some of the most popular events presented by the libraries.

We are committed to supporting all children, youth and families, including those from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. This includes ensuring that our services are affirming and supportive, as well as collaborating with community partners to provide information, services, and events.

In 2018 we launched Youth Pride. With several community partners we hosted a festival featuring entertainment and our first Resource Village, with information booths hosted by dozens of community agencies. We were pleasantly surprised how many families with young children attended, which highlighted the need for events for families with small children. The following year, we launched Drag Queen Storytime in partnership with all eight of the municipal libraries in Durham Region.

We have been asked about why we need Youth Pride and why organizations such as Durham CAS and public libraries are presenting Youth Pride and Drag Queen Storytime:

We are involved because we want to ensure everyone is informed about organizations and individuals in our communities that support, respect and care for children, youth and parents who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+.

Youth Pride initiatives are proactive, public advocacy for affirming services, policies and systems. We get involved so we can work with 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, advocates and allies to raise awareness and help inform others who are continuing their learning about the challenges faced by individuals who identify within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

In addition to our public events, we also have a Live Proud Employee Resource group who provide support to our own staff who may be working with children, youth and families who identify, as well as working to address issues in the workplace to ensure that our own 2SLGBTQIA+ staff are supported and feel safe.

Please see below for a video featuring the Drag Queen Storytime events of 2023 and some additional resources about the need for affirming services for all children, youth and families.