Rachel Benson

Job Title: Equality, Inclusion and Programmes Manager
Organisation: Youth Cymru

Rachel Benson (she/her) is the Equality, Inclusion and Programmes Manager at Youth Cymru, a national charity with over 80 years’ experience of supporting young people and youth work in Wales. She has managed TransForm Cymru since its establishment in 2014 which supports trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people and promotes trans inclusive practice through training, information and guidance.

TransForm has enabled trans young people to develop their own social action projects and events and produce positive counter-narratives to transphobia. In 2018, Humanequin, developed by Youth Cymru and Mess Up The Mess in partnership with young people from TransForm, was performed by a cast of young trans and non-binary actors at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff: https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2018/humanequin/

Currently, the ‘Belong’ project (a partnership between Youth Cymru and The Amber Project) provides workshops, counselling and emotional well-being support to trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people in Cardiff and the surrounding areas.

She is currently studying for her MA in Managing Community Practice; her dissertation focuses on trans young people’s experiences of youth work.