US Embassy, NZDF and Pride Festival team up for Conference

US Embassy, NZDF and Pride Festival team up for LGBTIQ Youth Leaders Conference

14 January 2014

Auckland Pride Festival Trust and the US Embassy invite LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer) youth to register for the inaugural NXT:14 Youth Leaders Conference.

The conference, co-hosted by the Trust and Embassy, will bring together LGBTIQ youth representatives from New Zealand and the Pacific and will be held February 7-9 at Unitec’s Mt Albert campus in Auckland.

Speakers and panelists at the event include Green Party MP Kevin Hague, Labour Party MP Louisa Wall, National Party MP Claudette Hauiti and 2012 Young New Zealander of the year Sam Johnson. New Zealand Defence Force LGBTIQ support network OverWatch will run workshops, and a high profile speaker from the United States is also expected to be confirmed for the event.

Megan Cunningham-Adams, co-chair of the Auckland Pride Festival Trust, says the conference is the first of its kind included in the Auckland Pride Festival, an event which gives LGBTIQ youth a voice.

“We hope that this conference will inspire participants to forge new, positive directions in the campaign for LGBTIQ rights,” she says.

The conference is being funded by outgoing-US Ambassador David Huebner, a strong advocate for both youth and the Rainbow Community, and is run in conjunction with the 2014 Auckland Pride Festival and the LYC Big Gay Out. The Embassy is a Bronze Sponsor of the Big Gay Out.

NXT:14 is aimed at people between the ages of 18 and 25, but registrations from people outside this range will also be considered. Registrations are available for download at http://www.aucklandpridefestival.org.nz/nxt14/ and close Wednesday 29 January.

ENDS

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