It Gets Better, the world’s largest storytelling effort to empower LGBTQ+ youth, today kicks off Pride Village, a multi-day fundraising event celebrated in Minecraft. This eight-day-long relay event brings together content creators and communities to celebrate the diverse expressions of Pride.
With more than 35 content creators participating, the relay runs through June 13 across various Twitch channels and will raise critical funds to support It Gets Better’s efforts to uplift and empower queer youth. The relay culminates in the public unveiling of a virtual space for LGBTQ+ youth to connect with the community on the official It Gets Better Twitch channel.
Pride Village is part of the fifth annual It Gets Better: A Digital Pride Experience, which will feature Pride-themed streams on It Gets Better’s Twitch channel throughout the month. All Digital Pride activations will also serve as a fundraiser to support It Gets Better, and all funds raised up to $50,000 throughout Pride Month will be matched by a donation from e.l.f. Cosmetics.
“Digital streaming platforms like Twitch are vital lifelines for LGBTQ+ youth, offering inclusive and affirming spaces to find community, which is so important to our work at It Gets Better, ” said Brian Wenke, Executive Director of It Gets Better. “The Pride Village Minecraft relay presents a unique opportunity to experience what Pride means to content creators all over the world, and ultimately, offer LGBTQ+ youth a lasting digital world they can visit anytime.”
From June 6-13, LGBTQ+ creators will host an unofficial Minecraft build relay to celebrate Pride Month and raise funds for programs that uplift and empower LGBTQ+ youth.
For the last five years, It Gets Better: A Digital Pride Experience has offered LGBTQ+ youth who may not have the opportunity to celebrate Pride in person a safe space to gather with the community. With more than double the amount of LGBTQ+ youth spending time on Twitch than their cishet peers and four in ten LGBTQ+ youth saying they prefer social media to in-person communication, “Pride Village” is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ youth to be loud and be proud.
“Since launching our Twitch ambassador and charity streaming programs in 2021, creators have raised more than 160K dollars in support of LGBTQ+ youth. They’ve offered critical advice, a welcoming community, and a home away from home for LGBTQ+ young people who are coming into their own and discovering who they are” said Mia Mercer, It Gets Better’s Assistant Manager of Gaming & Broadcasting. “It was a natural fit to incorporate Minecraft, which celebrates creativity and collaboration, into our Digital Pride programming this year, and we are excited to see how our creators inspire each other and LGBTQ+ youth with their interpretations of Pride.”
The Pride Village relay was created in collaboration with Carper Creative and kicks off today with a handful of streams listed below. Visit itgetsbetter.org for a full schedule of streams. To support the fundraiser, visit It Gets Better’s official Tiltify fundraiser.
