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."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.