OUT Maine expands its support groups

OUT Maine has received a $25,000 grant from the John T. Gorman Foundation to help support queer youth, providing connection and support to counter rising mental health challenges.

The grant was awarded in response to rising concerns about the well-being of young adults who are suffering from the mental health effects of the prolonged pandemic as they are disconnected from school and other social supports, according to the Gorman Foundation.

OUT Maine will expand its Trans Youth Support Group and now can continue its three weekly youth programs for LGBTQ+ and allied youth ages 9-12, 13-17 and 16-22 through the coming months. The Trans Youth Support Group, which began in January, saw such a strong response that a waitlist was formed. Prior to adding the new virtual support group, OUT Maine was already seeing 40-plus youth in its virtual programs each week.

For more information, visit outmaine.org.

Outdoor Film Festival accepting student entries

As part of its summer 2021 festival, The Maine Outdoor Film Festival announces cash prizes for Maine filmmakers, including $500 for Best Maine Student Film.

MOFF has three film categories: short (under 12 minutes), short film (12:00 to 39:59), feature (40 minutes and above). The only requirement is that entries must be an outdoor film.

Youth filmmakers must submit an outdoor film accepted by the 2021 Maine Outdoor Film Festival. The filmmaker or filmmakers must be students enrolled in a Maine high school/college or a student from Maine attending an out-of-state school in the ’20 or ’21 academic years.

MOFF’s final submission deadline is June 1. Accepted films will be announced June 26 and award winners will be announced during the festival. MOFF 2021 Portland takes place from July 29 to Aug. 8 on the Eastern Promenade and online via MOFF’s virtual platform.

For more info on submitting a film, visit maineoutdoorfilmfestival.com/submit. For more information on the whole festival experience, visit vimeo.com/MOFF.