LGBTQ+ Service, YMCA Swansea

YMCA Swansea’s LGBTQ+ Service has grown from a weekly LGBTQ+ youth club into a service that reaches thousands of LGBTQ+ young people across Wales. 

The service provides safe, affirming spaces where LGBTQ+ young people can explore identity, access specialist support, build confidence and develop essential life skills. Through youth‑led forums, education programmes, school‑based work and professional training, the service actively challenges discrimination, raises awareness and improves access to support across Wales. Young people accessing the service are not just participants—they lead, co‑design services, shape policy conversations and drive change in their communities. 

Judges considered that Swansea’s LGBTQ+ Service sets a powerful benchmark for inclusive youth work in Wales. Through this intensive, young person‑centred approach, the service is shifting attitudes, challenging stigma and empowering young people to lead change within their communities.

The impact is best captured by young people themselves. One participant shared:

“It’s the only place I can be myself – I don’t have to mask who I am.”