LGBT Charter Silver Award

The Compass Centre has achieved the LGBT Charter at Silver level! Workers at the centre have worked hard over the last year to make The Compass Centre as accessible as possible for LGBT survivors, volunteers and staff. This has included new policies, training for staff and board members, an audit of resources, use of social media, new pages on the website, and special events throughout the year.

Followers of the centre’s social media will have seen messages of celebration and activism on key dates, including Trans Day of Remembrance, LGBT History Month, International Day of Trans Visibility, International day against homophobia, biphobia & transphobia, Pride month, Bisexual Visibility Day, and National Coming Out Day.

Members of BEE (Bold, Equal, Empowered) youth activism volunteering group took part in a sponsored walk earlier in the year for Purple Friday and the attendees at Shetland Pride were able to visit The Compass Centre information stand at the Pride Village earlier this month. The Centre also hosted its own open-door event as part of the wider weekend of pride celebrations, providing an opportunity for the public to visit and learn more about the work of the centre.

This work was made possible by funding from the Tampon Tax Fund. The LGBT Charter, run by LGBT Youth Scotland, is a programme that enables organisations to proactively include LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people in every aspect of their work, supporting staff and volunteers and providing a high-quality service to service users. Participants are assessed against specific standards relating to leadership, training, policy, practice, visibility, and monitoring and evaluation. The Charter is awarded for a period of 4 years.