The SUM Project:

The SUM Project is a spectrum youth led and focused initiative that combines LGBT youth expressions through the arts, voices of spectrum and allied youth from across the GTA, and the wisdom of spectrum youth leaders to build, support, share and celebrate spectrum youth culture in Toronto and beyond. This project uses community and secondary school based presentations as a response to recent focus upon the challenges of living as an lgbt youth and builds on this societal attention. However this project aims at supporting, archiving, sharing and celebrating spectrum youth identities and expressions while affirming all of the amazing things spectrum youth do with their lives everyday, rather than solely focusing on the negative aspects which often define us as powerless or victims. We also believe in the power of our voices and art to inspire the expansion of societal values that accept and embrace spectrum youth within their communities and families.
The SUM Project sees itself working as a compliment and in conjunction with this work, but focusing on culture building, which is a much needed and often overlooked aspect of advocacy. We want to expand the dialogue and narratives about LGBT youth beyond just focusing on sex/gender discrimination and the challenges LGBT youth are afflicted with as a result, insinuating that we are constant victims and negating the amazing ways we thrive and live our lives boldly and expressively. This is precisely what we want to speak to and celebrate in our work. We want to reflect the unique and exceptionally talented spectrum artists and creators in our community while honoring the courage it takes to share ones work publicly as a queer or trans young person. We want to show just how beautiful spectrum youth really are!!! It is also so important for us to generally increase spectrum visibility in positive ways within diverse communities across the GTA, because spectrum youth come from these communities too and shouldn’t have to relocate into the downtown in order to find support and affirmation.

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We are currently in the research and development phase of this project and hope to begin offering presentations by September 2011. If you are interested in learning more about the project or advance-booking a presentation for your secondary school or community center please contact us at: