Outloud North Bay is a safe place for everyone

Outloud North Bay is coming up on its three year anniversary and has 200 youth members at the space.

"We've created a grassroots organization here. A lot of communities in northern Ontario don't have anything like this," said Seth Compton, the centre’s executive director.

"We get people travelling from Timmins, Thunder Bay which is really rewarding because we are moving north," he added.

Compton told CTV News he started the Outloud as a safe space for the 2SLGBTQ+ community to gather, but he wants the community to know that everyone is welcome.

"A lot of the kids who use this space are ages six to 19 and right now we are 50/50,” Compton said.

“50% of the kids do identify as straight and the other 50% of the kids do identify as a part of that community, so it's really cool to see them all get together."

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The charity organization relies on many volunteers and those who spoke with CTV News said while they are there to support the members, Outloud has also become a safe space for them.

"I want the community to know it's a space for all kids," said Compton.

"It's really important that we have supports for those kids in the low income bracket that have no where to go."

Compton said he also hopes to eventually expand Outloud to more northern Ontario communities.

For more information on the centre’s activities, events and workshops, visit their Facebook page.