A Message From Our CEO

Thank you for visiting SAYiT’s newly refreshed website, where you can find information on the support and advice we are able offer young people up to the age of 25 years.

At SAYiT, we pride ourselves on having offered confidential support, guidance and advice to young people for almost 20 years.

SAYiT, which was known as the Sheena Amos Youth Trust, was originally established to work with all young people in supporting them with their sexual health and in negotiating safer sexual relationships. We also supported those young people either living with HIV or affected by HIV.

As the charity has grown and developed over the years, our work has become more focused on the needs of young LGBT+ people who are disproportionately impacted upon by poorer sexual health and are more likely to experience mental ill health or emotional difficulties.

Our primary function is to offer direct support through group work or one-to-one interventions with young people. Increasingly, we have recognised the need to empower young LGBT+ people to negotiate some of the barriers and hurdles placed in front of them, recognising that it is institutions and communities that need to change and accommodate greater diversity and difference in terms of sexuality, gender and identity.

So as well as offering direct emotional support to young LGBT+ people, increasingly we work with parents, carers, schools, colleges, universities and a variety of other institutions – improving the environment and cultures in which young LGBT+ people experience their lives.

Since being appointed as CEO of SAYiT over two years ago, I have been delighted to see the charity grow both in terms of the services it offers and also in the influence it has been able to demonstrate. And there is still so much more for us to do!

I am hugely proud and privileged to be a part of an organisation that places young LGBT+ people at the heart of all we do; where staff and trustees share values and a common vision and are dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT+ young people.

I hope that you find the updated website useful. In the meantime if you have any comments to make about how we might improve the website or even the services we offer then please do contact us – we want to hear from you.

Best wishes,

Steve Slack

CEO