Heaps Decent is an Australian organisation empowering young people through skills building, cultural access and creativity.
Working with underrepresented and marginalised youth, our participatory program of music and visual media activities provides a pathway to discovery, personal growth and agency through self-expression.We’re taking part in GiveOUT Day 2025
Right now, 11 trans and queer teens are at The Queer Studio learning music production from established queer artists Malaika Mfalme and ANESU, recording an original song together, and building community with people who understand their lived experiences.
Why this matters:
Trans and queer youth—especially in regional areas—face significant isolation. When LGBTQIA+ programs do exist, they often disappear when grant funding runs out, leaving young people without the ongoing community connections that are essential to their wellbeing.
Consistency isn’t just helpful. For isolated young people, it’s vital.
What we’re building:
The Queer Studio provides safe, affirming creative spaces where trans and queer youth (15-19) learn from professional queer mentors, develop real music production skills, and find the community that’s hard to access as a teenager.
We’re raising funds to run this program every school holidays in Sydney AND expand to regional areas across NSW—so more young people can access these life-sustaining spaces, not just when grants align.
How you can help:
Every donation to our GiveOUT Day fundraiser is MATCHED dollar-for-dollar.
Donate here: https://giveoutday.org.au/o/heaps-decent
Next week, we’ll share the song these young people are creating right now.
The Queer Studio is a collaboration between Heaps Decent and TRANSMEDIUM.