Black History Month: Featured Organizations
- QMUNITY Team
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
During Black History Month QMUNITY is highlighting and donating to organizations that serve the Black 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Featured organization: This Space
This Space Belongs to You: Building Resiliency in Kelowna’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Community
2SLGBTQIA+ and IBPOC specific spaces are hard to find in British Columbia, but not nonexistent. Located in the heart of Kelowna at 541 Bernard Ave, This Space provides a caring and safe environment for youth 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or IBPOC 12-24 to access counselling, drop-in spaces, and gender affirming garments. Without their services, many Kelowna youth would be unable to access these supports, as noted by the 63% of youth who said they were unaware of any other Queer or IBPOC-specific mental health services in the Okanagan. They describe themselves as an organization “for community, by community”.
IBPOC Owned and Operated
This Space is proudly founded by Meaghan Duckett (she/her), who identifies as a second-generation Afro-Jamaican and Scottish. Many staff and board members of the organization openly identify as IBPOC, showing the organization's commitment to uplifting these voices. Services offered by This Space are open to 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or IBPOC youth 12-24, with a specific drop-in time for IBPOC participants. Youth are also invited to share their preferences for counsellor pairings in the counselling referral form, which is helpful for youth seeking a counsellor that might better understand their life experiences.
Services Available
Free counselling, gender affirming wear, drop-in and groups are some of the resources available for individuals who are seeking emotional and mental health support. This Space offers free counselling for 2SLGBTQIA+ and IBPOC youth, and will have a counsellor specifically for gender-based violence counselling until November 2026.
The interior of the building offers a friendly and bright space where youth can feel comfortable while attending drop-ins or participating in groups. This Space also separates 12-16 and 16-24 year olds during their wellness and joy groups so that youth can make appropriate and positive connections with similarly aged peers. All youth 12-24 that fit the drop-in demographic are welcome to come and hang out during general drop-in times.
In partnership with QMUNITY, This Space offers a free gender affirming wear program. By accessing this program, youth can try on gender supportive wear items like binders and bras before requesting one. This helps to ensure that youth are ordering the right size, and reduces preventable injuries that occur from using gender affirming garments improperly.
Impact
Over 600 free counselling sessions were hosted in 2025 by This Space, and over 100 queer wellness groups were conducted. This Space provides a place for queer youth to feel affirmed and supported in a time where 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and safety are often under attack. As well, This Space acknowledges the intersectionality that exists between 2SLGBTQIA+ and IBPOC identities, and acknowledges the specific struggles these youth may go through because of their identities.
This Space is always working towards making things better for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in the Okanagan. In 2025, they provided their staff with HRT assessment training as they acknowledged that this can be a barrier for youth attempting to access gender affirming care. Youth should inquire with staff about the availability of this service, as it will likely take some time to officially begin.
Getting in Touch
Interested parties can check out their Instagram @thisspacebelongstoyou or website thisspacebelongstoyou.com to check what drop-ins and groups will be offered and when.
One way to support This Space’s incredible services is a monetary donation through their website. However, if people are unable to support financially, other ways to help include sharing information about their services with people you think might benefit from their services, or inquiring about their workshops and trainings.
Looking Out
This Space is one example of incredible organizations that are already doing the work to support 2SLGBTQIA+ people. To learn more about other organizations that are also doing this work, check out QMUNITY’s website for more articles and information.
