44 million LGBTQI+ youth live in countries with discriminatory laws and harmful social norms.
WE SUPPORT THE MENTAL HEALTH
AND WELLBEING OF LGBTQI+ YOUTH
THROUGH DIGITAL.
A HOST OF CHALLENGES
Navigating adolescence is challenging for everyone, but it’s especially difficult for young people questioning their sexual orientation and gender identity... In the United States of America, lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are almost five times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers… and the situation is even more dire in countries like Nigeria and Indonesia, where support is dangerous to access, if it exists at all. At a time in their lives when they most need understanding and advice, LGBTQI+ youth around the world often have nowhere to turn.
THERE IS A SOLUTION
Access to Information
In countries where LGBTQI+ people face discrimination, imprisonment, and the threat of violence, there's a desperate lack of access to private, secure, and relevant information. Combining the security of WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption with a user experience that's designed for identity protection, SameSame provides young people with an opportunity to access essential information from doctors, lawyers, therapists, and other young people who’ve had the courage to share their stories.
Supporting Mental Health
The stress of being LGBTQI+ in socially conservative and discriminatory environments can be profoundly harmful to queer youth. LGBTQI+ youth are far more likely than their peers to experience mental health issues. SameSame works with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) experts to create evidence-backed activities that help users set goals, fight depression and anxiety, deal with stress, and overcome both internal and external homo- and transphobia so that they can achieve their full potential.
Linking Youth to Services
For LGBTQI+ youth who feel ready, or who find themselves with no other choice, SameSame connects them to locally-available service providers that have been vetted to ensure that they're LGBTQI+ friendly. Where vetting of doctors, clinics, shelters, and legal support is not possible, or services aren’t available, SameSame helps users understand how to access services as safely as possible.
SAMESAME IN ZIMBABWE
Working with and for local queer youth in Zimbabwe, and with the support of Grand Challenges Canada, the SameSame team has adapted our CBT course to make it available to Shona and Ndebele speakers across the country under the name TakaTaka — a shona expression used “when things just fall into place”.
To ensure the ability of SameSame to discreetly operate in countries and regions with policies, laws, or social norms that are hostile towards LGBTQI+ organisations, the names of our projects in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia have been intentionally omitted. A general, English-language, prototype of our service can be accessed here. If you’d like to get involved with our work, or view our localized chatbots, please reach out to us directly. Thank you for your understanding.