"Really we're only borrowing the world from our children." "Oh, is it a tax dodge?"
NZ has an organisation called Rainbow Youth. Each year they have a hui (gathering) for LGBTQ young people from around NZ. They play sport, make art, do theatre, discuss LGBTQ issues (and how to solve or deal with them), and get to hang out in a space that is queer friendly.
As well as the hui, Rainbow Youth supplies a phone line and a text service for questioning young people, and a drop-in centre. My favourite thing about the drop-in centre is that they have a dress-ups box! So young people can experiment with self-expression in a safe space! I just adore that.
As some of you may have noticed, these are tough times. A lot of young people (and their families) can't afford the cost of getting them to the hui. So Rainbow Youth is appealing for sponsors. I won't pretend it's cheap - even just covering the cost of a young person's bed and board for the weekend is NZ$60 (about 30 UK pounds or about US$46), let alone the cost of flying from the other end of the country. However, every little bit helps. And they have Paypal!
I'd like to offer some sort of incentive, as well as brazenly asking for your money. The last time I auctioned my writing it took four months to produce the goods. So, if you'd care for a snippet of some sort, from a fandom I'm familiar with, I promise to produce it within 7 days of your donation. If you wouldn't care for a snippet, but want to fling $5 towards Rainbow Youth, that would be fabulous.
And, for everyone regardless of whether or not you're in a position to give money, here is a link to some free New Zealand music. I haven't listened to it yet, but I bet there'll be something there you like.