GYRO are award winning LGBTQ+ youth groups for children & young people aged 11-25 years, who may be exploring sexuality and/or gender identity. GYRO has existed in some form since 1976 making it one of the oldest LGBTQ+ youth provisions in the country. The original name stood for Gay Youth Are Out - which they know is very outdated - but the name GYRO has a lot of history and sentiment attached to it. Today they use the full title of GYRO – LGBTQ+ Youth.
The charity has come to provide an all-encompassing set of services that provide holistic support to queer youth. This includes care support with mental health, housing, domestic abuse, counselling, and general advice/information, but also activities that champion, celebrate and foster confidence and skills in young queer people. This includes advocacy campaigns, facilitating creative and educational workshops, setting up social groups, and organising events.
GYRO has a sibling group ‘THE’ (Trans Health Education) Action Youth’, which specifically supports young people around gender identity. Their support will generally cover exploring who you are, coming out and social transitioning, overcoming difficulties with school,. Friends or family, coping with dysphoria, medical transitioning and access to medical service.