Skipping Stone Media Release Statement of Endorsement
Skipping Stone is building an Alberta where everyone, regardless of gender identity or expression, has access to the services they need and receives the support, validation and love they deserve.
We envision a province where trans and gender diverse individuals are surrounded by positivity, affirmation and support free from barriers, stigma and discrimination, with a mission to connect trans and gender diverse youth, adults and families with comprehensive and low barrier access to the support they need and deserve. Skipping Stone continues to profoundly change the narrative around how to provide truly affirming, transformative and often life-saving care to trans and gender diverse youth, adults, and families. Their comprehensive care model which focuses on supporting individuals as whole, healthy, wonderful human beings leads the way in Canada, having attracted national and international attention and acclaim when it comes to treating trans and gender diverse folks with the attention, dignity, and respect they deserve.
Their innovative approach brings community members, social workers, as well as mental health and medical professionals work together as a unified team to provide services from: access to peer mentoring and group programming to build capacity and community; to access to housing, food, income, and other supports to ensure they are safe add healthy; to access to trans affirming mental health and medical services
Since founding in 2016, they have connected with and changed the lives over 10,000 youth, adults and families across the province.
THE CHALLENGE
However, trans and gender diverse individuals, and youth in particular, continue to experience significant systemic and social discrimination in near every facet of their lives causing significant impact on their wellbeing.
In recent research conduced by the 'Canadian Trans Youth Health Survey' and 'Trans Pulse Canada Project', we see:
Discrimination & violence
Almost 2 in 3 transgender Albertans report significant and ongoing discrimination on the basis of their gender identity;
35% have been victims of transphobic violence and/or serious threats of violence
Barriers to access supports:
Over 40% of trans individuals have unmet healthcare need in the last 12 months, compared to 4% of all Albertans
Isolation & lack of community:
Over 60% of trans individuals do not have the most foundational support and affirming to be able to live congruently with their felt gender.
85% of trans Albertans avoid social, work and social activities for fear of discrimination.
As a result, we see a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of our community:
Over 2 in 5 trans Albertan attempted suicide in the past 12 months (Nearly double the national average)
84% of trans and gender diverse youth in Alberta report poor mental health status
Over 70% of trans individuals have engaged in self-harm
Almost 45% experience such ongoing distress that it regularly disrupts their routine.
THE IMPACT
We do also see however that when clients able able to access 3 foundational pillars of resiliency through our services: the creating/strengthening of a supportive family; a sense of community & belonging; and timely access to affirming mental health & medical support, there is a profound impact on their wellbeing including an over 95% reduction in suicidality and self harming behaviours, a 40% increase in the self-identification of their mental health as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and over 90% increase in the sense of being empowered and equipped to be resilient in overcoming the distress they’re exposed to.
This is why the support of the Aurora Masquerade Foundation’s gala is so essential to our community. Through the funds and awareness the event will generate, together, we’ll be able to provide this not only life-changing but also often live-saving care to countless others in need and serve as a light and show of hope and solidarity during an extremely difficult time for trans and gender diverse Albertans.
Amelia Newbert
Managing Director & Founder
Pronouns: she/her
www.skippingstone.ca | amelia@skippingstone.ca
Amelia (she/her) is the co-founder and Managing Director of Skipping Stone, a nationally recognized nonprofit which supports trans and gender diverse youth, adults & families. She has held positions with Calgary Pride, the Trans Equality Society of Alberta and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and received the Outstanding Community Impact Award from University of Calgary Law School and 2018 Grand Heart Award in recognition of her contributions to advancing 2SLGBTQIA+ human rights in Alberta.
