Creating a culture of care to support rainbow activists’ well-being: an exemplar from Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

Abstract Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ)+ (rainbow) young people are more likely to volunteer and join activist groups than other young people, and many engage in rainbow activism. Though activism stems from the desire to make the world a better place, it can have negative consequences for people’s well-being, particularly for minority groups, because activism related to personal issues is more likely to cause burnout. In this article we identify the characteristics of InsideOUT Kōaro, a rainbow activist group that responded to this risk and set in place a culture of care to support members’ well-being. This work draws on data from collaborative research with 14 young volunteers and staff within the organization. The group’s culture of care was founded in the values of care, empathy, respect, and responsiveness to the Aotearoa/New Zealand context. Inclusion, acceptance, and community were actively fostered to create a microcosm of the group’s vision for broader society. The organization’s structures and systems are theorized in this article with ethics of care principles and the concept of prefigurative praxis.