We’re sure many of you have seen all of the posts from NG Pride on our Facebook account about all the activities we our currently running as well as our upcoming activities. What you may not see though, is all the things we have been doing in the background. We have been very busy working behind the scenes to put together a Rural Pride Collective that consists of members from Brockville Pride, Delta Pride, Gananoque Pride Alliance, Queer Connection Lanark, North Grenville Rainbow Youth Alliance and Smith Falls Pride. As a Collective, we have been taking training together, sharing resources,  collaborating on events and a list of tasks that we wish to accomplish together.  This allows our Prides to learn and grow so we can enhance the work we are all doing in our communities. Some of the training that we have taken includes EDI training with the 519 organization, based in Toronto and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). We also had the honour to do a workshop with a 2-Spirit Elder as well. The formation of the Rural Pride Collective and the above-mentioned training sessions have been funded by NG Pride using the Contribution Agreement funds received from the Department of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE).  We have also bought one-year licenses for each of the Pride organizations to access Udemy, which is an online learning platform that includes over 8,000 self-paced training courses.  This includes not only training and courses teaching about issues for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but also how to manage websites, work with a board, marketing, fundraising, etc. 

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We are busy planning for this year‘s parade and after-party which is on track to be an amazing day celebrating our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We are looking for sponsors and volunteers so if you are interested in either, please reach out! 

 

We have also put a call out to the seniors in our community to find out what they would like to see as far as a Seniors group.  We have met with administrators and Early Years staff on how to make their spaces and policies more inclusive. We have been invited to do more presentations in the near future with daycare centre staff in entirety of the Leeds and Grenville catchment area. 

 

There is a 2SLGBTQIA+ Rainbow Gala fundraiser planned for Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Catered Affairs.   We are gearing up for our first Trivia night which will be held on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at Salamanders.  We are hoping that this will turn into a monthly event!   We are in the early stages of planning for a summer outdoor market as well. 

 

Currently, we have bi-monthly art drop-ins at the library, known as our Glittery Crafternoon which is a safe space where you can bring your craft of choice to work on, socialize with other members in the community and enjoy a fun afternoon making new friends.   

 

Meagan Cumming (a Registered Psychotherapist and the CEO of the Kemptville Stress Relief Centre) is still offering free virtual sessions once a month, where folks have a safe space to share their experiences of being 2SLGBTQIA+ and learn how to support others within that community with education and local resources. 

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We are also pairing up with Not a Phase – Leeds and Grenville and Brockville Pride to host a Snack and Chat for parents of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. This is a parent led drop in where parents can chat about the joys, fears, and concerns they have in a safe and open space. 

 

Three members of our board, Devon, Kate, and Fiona recently went to Fierté Canada Pride’s annual AGM and conference in Kelowna. This year‘s theme was “Supporting Rural and Remote Prides.  The conference was incredible and we were able to participate in almost every workshop, where we gathered a wealth of information and made great connections with other rural and remote Prides from across the country.    

 

If you should have any questions, comments, or suggestions about any of the activities mentioned above or if you wish to sponsor or volunteer, please feel free to reach out to our board at info@ngpride.ca