Dating app Hinge has announced an industry-first new fund to further help future daters from LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. Launched during Mental Health Awareness Month, the Mental Health Advocates of Tomorrow fund will give ten aspiring therapists and counsellors $10,000 each to help cover the cost of their education.
The aim is to empower a group of therapists who will have a more empathetic approach with LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people looking to build healthy relationships and the unique challenges those communities face.
Research by the Trevor Project found that nearly half of transgender and non-binary youth aren’t receiving the mental health care they need due to concerns of an inadequate level of care by providers for LGBTQ+ people and the issues they may encounter.
Further data by the US Bureau of Labor shows that only one in four mental health counsellors are people of colour. Multidisciplinary artist and mental health advocate, Fariha Róisín, is helping raise awareness of the fund.