MERMAIDS NI Where community becomes a movement

At the edge of Belfast, a community centre gently hums with life. Young people sip hot chocolate, parents share quiet conversations, and facilitators provide art supplies alongside unconditional affirmation. This is Mermaids House—the heart of Mermaids NI, a community-led organisation supporting gender-diverse youth across Northern Ireland.

Formerly known as SAIL NI, the group began in the early 2000s when a handful of parents, facing stigma and silence from mainstream services, chose to support one another. What started as informal meetups in homes and halls has since grown into a respected regional movement. In 2022, the group officially became Mermaids NI, partnering with Mermaids UK but retaining its deeply local, personal ethos.

Mermaids NI offers far more than a support service. At its core is a vibrant, intergenerational community shaped by trust, compassion, and lived experience. Monthly youth groups offer joy and creativity as much as they do support. Identities are not merely acknowledged—they are celebrated. Young people build friendships, explore their passions, and find their voices. Many return as peer mentors and co-facilitators, shaping the spaces they once entered nervously.

This peer-led model is what makes Mermaids NI unique. Young people are not spoken for—they lead with authenticity and empathy. The result is a resilient, confident generation paying their experience forward.

Behind the scenes, Mermaids NI also drives systemic change. With the long-standing support of the Public Health Agency, the organisation embeds early intervention and mental health priorities into its work. It trains educators, healthcare providers, and frontline professionals to better understand and support gender-diverse youth—transforming classrooms, clinics, and communities across NI.

Crucially, this work is sustained by a growing network of civic and commercial allies. Funders such as MAC Cosmetics, The Big Lottery Awards for All, and the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust help fund programmes, while local businesses and individuals continue to champion the cause. Their support signals something powerful: people standing beside people, even in the face of resistance.

The charity’s greatest legacy, however, lies in the stories of those it has served. Young adults who grew up within Mermaids NI now return as leaders and changemakers—thriving not just despite adversity, but because they were believed, supported, and empowered.

In a region with a complex history of exclusion, Mermaids NI offers something quietly radical: not a fight against, but a proposition for. A vision of a future defined by dignity, care, and courage. Sometimes, that future begins with a warm drink and a safe space. Sometimes, it begins with being seen.

Mermaids NI is a movement where community becomes transformation—and where young people are always at the centre.

To learn more, visit www.mermaidsuk.org.uk or email localgroupsni@mermaidsuk. org.uk.

This work is made possible thanks to support from the Public Health Agency, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, MAC Cosmetics, The Big Lottery Awards for All, and the people of Northern Ireland.

Thank you.