Meridian ACT

World Refugee Day 2026 comes at a time when the promise of safety is being tested in every region of the world.

More than 117 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, including millions who were forced to flee their homes because of their gender or s*xuality.

The 2026 World Refugee Day theme, 'Until everyone is safe,' calls on
- governments to uphold fair & accessible asylum systems
- communities to welcome those forced to flee
- each of us to defend the principle that safety must never depend on nationality, wealth, race, religion, gender, s*xuality, political opinion or migration status.

Protection is fulfilled only when asylum seekers & refugees can live without fear, rebuild their lives, contribute to their communities and, when conditions allow, return home voluntarily, safely & with dignity.

Check out this free upcoming workshop at the Canberra Pride Hub (located in our offices in Turner), because 'Everybody loves puppets!' (IYKYK)

At Puppet with Pride, you can build your own q***r puppet character and explore puppetry as a contemporary visual art.

Workshop is from 1 to 4pn on 4 July.

RSVP by emailing [email protected] or contacting 0494 111 949.

📣 This month's Shout Out is to Directions Health Services for coordinating the ACT Needle & Syringe Program (NSP).

Meridian is proud to be part of the NSP network, a vital public health measure that provides sterile injecting equipment & safe disposal locations across the ACT to prevent the spread of blood borne viruses.

Directions also provides info on safe injecting practices, harm reduction & health protection, plus free frozen meals, from its primary NSP locations in Civic (Civic Community Health Centre, 1 Moore Street) and Phillip (Phillip Community Health Centre, 1 Keltie Street), and you can access crisis counselling from the Civic location.

Find out more, including all the NSP locations across the ACT, at directionshealth.com/needle-syringe-program/

Canberra Qwire's concert is coming up this weekend!

Tickets are on sale now for our midyear concert, Time and its Passing. 🗓️3pm, Saturday 20 June
📍Llewellyn Hall, ANU
🎫 https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=TIMEAND26

We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on!

🌈 Many LGBTQ+ folks don’t have contact with their birth families, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have strong & loving family relationships. Our chosen families can be wonderful support systems that provide us with unconditional love.

💖 If you’re having a bit of a rough time, it can be very helpful to get together with your chosen family & friends that you feel safe with.

Find out more about Meridian’s wellbeing services at www.meridianact.org.au/wellbeing

Neurodivergent Adult Symposium Co-design Survey Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our communities is a key priority of Meridian.

In the 2024/25 financial year, we were proud to provide 861 free counselling sessions for our community members. We also helped 178 people with care coordination and had 65 clients access our Inclusive Pathways program across 447 psychologist appointments.

Find out more about our services at www.meridianact.org.au/wellbeing

This Men's Health Week (15 to 21 June), we're encouraging men to see their GP, given 2 in 3 Australian men wait too long when something changes.

There are 101 reasons to see your GP. You probably already know yours. Men’s Health Week 2026 is your reminder to use it.

Don't know your reason yet? Visit https://www.menshealthweek.com.au/

📅 Mark your calendars with upcoming events at Meridian and around Canberra!

At Meridian over the coming fortnight, we have:
🧪 15 June, 4:30 to 6:35 pm: Get free and confidential STI testing for LGBTIQA+ communities at our STRIP Clinic. Bookings required.
🧓 20 June from 11am: MAGNet, our network for mature gay & bi men, is having coffee & cake @ the National Museum of Australia. Please RSVP.

Find out about these and more at www.meridianact.org.au/events

Other events happening around Canberra that might interest you include:
🎟️ 17 June, 6:30 to 8pm: ACON’s online Inclusive HIV Care Practice Guide launch for anyone involved in delivering care, support or community services. b2ea787c-5b67-4da7-aaad-2dca869c020f@3a70e402-427f-4bc7-b4ae-7fe139f1b496" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b2ea787c-5b67-4da7-aaad-2dca869c020f@3a70e402-427f-4bc7-b4ae-7fe139f1b496
🎟️ 17–20 June: C**k, by Mike Bartlett, a play about the slipperiness of language and labels: gay, straight, boyfriend, brother. Their elasticity is strained and snapped. https://www.belcoarts.com.au/cock/
🎟️ 20 June from 3pm: Canberra Qwire presents Time and it’s Passing, an exploration of music that follows the passage of time, at Llewellyn Hall, ANU. https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=TIMEAND26
🎟️ 23 June, 9am to 4:30pm: Big Meeting, A conference led by people with disability for the social and s*xual safety of people with disability, at ANU & online. https://safermesaferyou.org.au/

🎟️ 25 June, 10am to 12pm: ACTCOSS is hosting a session of our LGBTIQA+ Foundation training module from its offices in Woden. https://actcoss.org.au/news-and-events/events-and-training/event/?reset=1&id=243
🎟️ 27 June, 3 to 4:30pm: Rainbow Families is running a pilot social group for young people aged 8 to 12, with the hope of making this an ongoing monthly offering. Run at the Pride Hub Canberra within Meridian’s offices, this will provide a safe space for young people to connect socially. Email [email protected] for an intake form or any questions.

We know that young people, and especially LGBTQ+ young people, face barriers accessing healthcare services.

To help reduce these barriers and improve access to primary health services, Capital Health Network wants to know more about the experiences of young people in the ACT accessing GP care, as well as the experiences of GPs with caring for young people.

If you're a young person, a carer of a young person, or someone who works with young people, please complete CHN's short survey by 30 June: https://mysay.chnact.org.au/young-peoples-experiences-of-gp-care