Christmas appeal

Corinne McCulloch, a social worker at the Albert Kennedy Trust, is speaking about the gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers the trust has been helping since 1989. She knows just how devastating the effects of being shunned by their families can be for these young people: many of them will end up on the streets and they are also known to face an increased risk of suicide.

“Considering how vulnerable these youngsters are to discrimination and abuse,” says McCulloch, “it is crucial that everyone who needs our support can get it.” As last week’s Christmas Appeal article explained, the Albert Kennedy Trust offers desperate teenagers an escape route (HT 3 December, page 24). It was set up to commemorate Albert Kennedy, a 16-year-old runaway who fell to his death from the top of a multi-storey car park. A carload of homophobic attackers had been pursuing him.

Sadly, violent attacks like these still happen. To try and prevent such tragedies, the trust places gay people in their late teens with gay guardians. Being in a stable environment with people who know what it’s like to be gay in our society helps teenagers develop into confident young adults.

An equally vital part of the trust’s work is its mentoring service. It’s aimed at gay, lesbian and bisexual people up to the age of 21 and usually involves weekly meetings in which the mentor helps a young person with practical tasks, such as paying bills, claiming housing benefits or moving flats.

Making a difference

Every week, the trust is contacted by about five new callers who need help to come to terms with their sexuality or support to cope with the prejudice of those around them.

The counselling is an essential support for teenagers, and yet it’s hardly ever available through social services or other organisations.

Corrine McCulloch says that talking with gay mentors enables the young people to be themselves for the first time; they don’t feel they have to explain their sexuality. “Some prejudices that gay people face are quite subtle. For instance, outside of London’s Old Compton Street, most gay people feel they can’t hold hands with their partners,” she says. “Mentors know about these barriers.”

Mentors give young gay people a positive role model. TV personalities are often the only gay role model young gay men see around them. McCulloch says: “A gay black man we help said that the only gay person he knew of when he was growing up was Julian Clary. But not all gay men can relate to the kind of camp behaviour you see on TV.

“There are even fewer lesbian role models around for young women to relate to. Mentors help to fill that gap.”

Helen was school-phobic and so sensitive about what people thought of her. I helped her put things in perspective

Ane Freed-Kernis, mentor

Mentors and their charges are carefully matched. For example, an insecure teenager who has experienced no stability in their life might be placed with a mature mentor who can be a steadying influence. In one case, a young girl was put in touch with a mature female mentor because the girl had a tendency to go into damaging relationships with much older women.

The mentor helped the girl to change her perception that relationships with older women had to be of a sexual nature.

Ane Freed-Kernis is one of the trust’s 30 volunteer mentors. The first person she worked with was 15-year-old Helen*, who was from a relatively stable background but was finding it difficult coming to terms with her sexuality – as were her family.

Over the course of 18 months, Freed-Kernis met with Helen once a week, offering companionship as much as practical advice: “We’d meet for a coffee or have lunch and just talk about how Helen was feeling. She was school-phobic and very sensitive about people’s attitude towards her. My role was very much about putting things into perspective to help calm her and boosting her confidence.” Now 18 years old, Helen has a full-time job and rents a flat. She is still in regular contact with Freed-Kernis.

Freed-Kernis thinks Helen has done well and is reluctant to take any credit for her growing confidence. But she is adamant that young people who feel they need a mentor should have access to one because it can be a source of strength over the long term.

More than 450 young gay, lesbian and bisexual people have now benefited from the trust’s mentoring and other support services, such as advice on housing and benefits and how to maintain an independent tenancy. The trust has placed more than 100 young people with caring guardians. But for now its work is mainly limited to Manchester and London. To expand its services and reach more vulnerable teenagers, the trust desperately needs your help.

You can help to protect teenagers from ignorance and prejudice. Your money will enable the trust to give them the stability and encouragement so important for the development of any teenager. Albert Kennedy’s death was a terrible and pointless loss of young life – but with your support more tragedies like this can be averted.

“We want to be there to give advice and help before deeper problems set in,” says McCulloch. “One boy we spoke to was so desperate for a place, he started working for rent. Avery dangerous situation.”