On May 10th, the Refuge and the City of Nice co-organized an evening in honor of the young people taken in by the LGBT association.
Acting against the isolation of young people is the motto of the Refuge. It was in this atmosphere that the Refuge Youth Evening took place. The program included music, the screening of the Refuge’s new promotional clip, and testimonies from young people. This evening is a preview of the National Refuge Week from May 13th to 19th, 2019. Conferences, shows, exhibitions, screenings, galas, festive evenings, and round tables, this week of awareness-raising is the flagship event in the fight against homophobia across France. “Some young people eventually decide they want to live their lives as they feel. Normalcy should mean that parents open their arms to them. For this, we must provide our support,” stated Joëlle Martineaux.
Throughout the evening, young people currently or formerly members of the Refuge shared their stories. These were powerful testimonies, like that of Christian: “I isolated myself due to a lack of understanding, I was ashamed of myself. I have been at the Refuge for a year and a half now, and it has given me confidence in myself, I am happy and proud today.”
Cédric Roussel, a deputy of the Alpes Maritimes, expressed his support and his willingness to support these young people, “there is a great challenge today to overcome in terms of the fight against homophobia; it involves building rules of protection.”
What is the Refuge? In a few figures, the association has 13,000 members, 400 volunteers, and 7,500 young people supported in total. “An alarming figure since it is a 25% increase compared to 2018,” noted Nicolas Nogieur, President of the Refuge. Awareness-raising actions will be multiplied in schools, announced the president of the association.
