Topaza Yu received the RBC BreakOUT award from OUTSaskatoon for her work in making sexual health resources more accessible and user friendly for young people in Saskatoon. (Submitted photo/RBC)

By Paid Partnership

Young Saskatoon sexual health crusader wins award

Mar 22, 2021 | 8:00 AM

If you’re a teen growing up in Saskatoon, particularly in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, chances are you’ve seen Topaza Yu’s work.

The third year kinesiology student at the University of Saskatchewan has spent hundreds of hours volunteering for sexual rights causes in her community.

She is part of Action Canada’s National Youth Advisory Board, serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors with SWITCH (Student Wellness Initiative Towards Community Health), and this past year even found time to lead an awareness campaign (www.testforyou.ca) about the benefits of annual STI testing for young people.

“Growing up as a teen in Saskatoon I found that resources and information around sexual rights and reproductive health were really not very accessible,” said Yu. “So my goal in volunteering has been pretty simple – to make sure local youth, particularly in the 2SLGBTQ+ community where there can be a lot of barriers, have good information, especially online, and access to credible and up-to-date resources on sexual rights and reproductive health.”

The 20-year-old Saskatoon native’s efforts recently earned her the RBC BreakOUT award,  presented at OUTSaskatoon’s March 20 Glitter Gala.

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The RBC BreakOUT award is awarded to someone aged 13-25 who has impacted the gender and sexually diverse community and made a significant contribution to the growth and development of a strong and vibrant 2SLGBTQ+ community.

“This award fuels me to keep progressing sexual rights and reproductive health, both locally and nationally,“ said Yu. “It’s so important that young people know their rights when they see a health care provider, and that they have access to webinars, online tools and other content that is accessible and youth-friendly.”

Other dedicated Saskatoon volunteers taking home awards at the Gala (called the RBC OUTShine Awards) included Dave Culleton, who received the RBC OUTStanding award for his years of service on OUTSaskatoon’s Board of Directors, and Tuk Gordon, who received the RBC HelpOUT award for his commitment to Prairie Harm Reduction’s drop-in centre.

The Saskatoon Sexual Health family planning centre took home the RBC KnockOUT award for community leadership.

The awards were presented by Team Canada White Water Canoeist Haley Daniels, an ambassador with the RBC Olympians program who has a special and personal tie to OUTSaskatoon’s work.

“I’m very proud to help RBC shine a light on people who are making such a difference in improving life in the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” said Daniels, who is currently in France preparing for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. “My Dad is a beautiful transgender woman who just came out a few months ago, and it was such an exciting time for all of us. But it showed us there is still a lot of destigmatizing work to be done. This summer my Dad is going to be the first transgender individual to ever judge in the Olympics, which is amazing.”

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