Leading youth LGBTQI+ charity BeLonG To has partnered with Dublin Bus during 2020 Pride month to raise continued awareness about the ongoing struggles within the community.

BeLonG To are hoping to remind the Irish public that growing up LGBTQI+ isn't all rainbows, but its fantastic charity work emphasises how much support and encouragement members of this community need.

BeLonG To Youth Services is the national organisation supporting LGBTI+ young people in Ireland.

Working with young people, the charity's goal is to create a world where they are equal, safe, and valued in the diversity of their identities and experiences.

During Pride month, Dublin Bus are rolling out an eye-catching advertising campaign across 100 buses for two weeks from June 29 to showcase the vital services BeLonG To offers to LGBTI+ youth.

“For Pride this year, we wanted to put our support behind a deserving organisation which helps the community," Vivienne Kavanagh, Dublin Bus Employee Development and Equality Executive said.

"BeLonG To was a natural choice; their work is amazing, how they support our young LGBTI+ people, the future leaders, and maybe even bus drivers, of our country.”

On working with Dublin Bus, Moninne Griffith - BeLonG To CEO - expressed her gratitude for their support.

“I’ve long admired the great work and policies it creates to support its LGBTI+ employees," she said.

"While we have grown as a country in recent years, the fact remains that growing up LGBTI+ can be very difficult for some young people and we hope that the visibility of our information and images of happy and smiling young LGBTI+ people across 100 buses in the Capital will encourage young people who might need help, to reach out and know that there are people and organisations like BeLonG To here to support them.”

The charity was created in 2003, and has provided youth social groups, support groups, mental and sexual health services, and drug and alcohol support ever since.

Service user Sean described how BeLonG To helped him to forge his identity.

"Being in a place that encourages you to stay true to who you are has helped me grow”.

Robbie believes that “BeLonG To has made a big difference to my life, making me more confident and aware in everything I do. It's given me so many opportunities to get involved in different projects and give my input.”

Dublin Bus was one of the first companies in Ireland to extend its paternity policy to anyone whose partner gives birth to or adopts a child, and has made a name for itself in terms of its inclusion policies.

The company also worked with TENI in 2017 to produce its Workplace Gender Transition Policy and Guidelines for transitioning employees.

Many of us will remember how Dublin Bus inspired “Proud Dads” and older members of the LGBTI+ community to come together and enjoy Pride over the last two years, with the heart-warming videos viewed hundreds of thousands of times across the globe.