SOY is a program very special to me that immensely helped my journey as a queer young adult in Canada. It was participating in their various initiatives that I fully flourished into the human being I am today. On the afternoon of Saturday October 21, donors, businesses, community partners, volunteers, and allies will come together to support and celebrate the new youth they are now serving.

When I first arrived in Canada, at the age of 20, I was clueless on how to establish myself in a big and expensive city like Toronto. I needed healing from a traumatic coming out experience with my family, help making new friends after leaving old ones back in Brazil, and most importantly directions to not spend all the money I brought before establishing sustainable income here.

SOY helped me with all of that! I had access to dedicated professionals that gave me 1-on-1 counselling, I was invited to participate in numerous activities with people in very similar circumstances than mine that turned out to be friends I still have today, and I learned the basics of finding affordable housing, food and entertainment while also building professional experience that allowed me to be in the successful career I have today.

All of that was possible due to SOY's incredible team that manages to find various funding sources so that the youth they support does not have to pay for these life-saving services. A big chunk of the funding they collect is through initiatives like this that I am now hoping to help with.

Support for the SOY program has never been more crucial with more and more 2SLGBTQ youth registering for the program and with many experiencing greater social isolation and anxiety, food insecurity, unemployment, and homelessness.

Please consider joining us and donating to SOY's annual fundraiser and know that your gift will have a direct impact on 2SLGBTQ youth in our community.