Atlantic Canadian BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ Health Leaders
A professional development/networking group for BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals interested in 2SLGBTQIA+ health.
Created by CBRC
Communities in Focus
BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour
2SLGBTQIA+: Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and other gender or sexual marginalized
Atlantic Canadian BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ Health Leaders is a monthly professional development and networking group for BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ community members - with an interest in working (or studying) in the field of 2SLGBTQIA+ health.
Addressing a systemic lack of representation in regional 2SLGBTQIA+ health
Atlantic Canada has few professional opportunities for those working in 2SLGBTQIA+ health and those that do exist are often dominated by white settler communities. The resulting lack of BIPOC voices creates barriers for younger professionals to see themselves working in the field.
This networking and professional development group is the result of CBRC’s collaborative efforts to address this ongoing and systemic challenge in Atlantic Canada.
When developing a related program (2QTHINKS), CBRC recognized that a closed space would be a valued option. As such, this is a closed group meaning only BIPOC 2SLBTQIA+ community members are invited to join and participate.
How does the program operate?
Each monthly session is 90 minutes long, with members invited to attend as they are able. Sessions combine some networking time with a guest presenter on a topic relevant to 2SLGBTQIA+ health (with special focus on ST/BBI prevention). Each session starts with a land acknowledgement and a recognition of relevant events (e.g., “This month is National Indigenous History Month'').
This is followed by a round of introductions and check-ins from attendees. Lastly, a guest presenter is allotted approximately 30 minutes followed by a 30 minutes Q&A (though some presenters choose an hour-long workshop combining presentation and interactive engagement).
Presenters & Topics
Funding for this program is directly tied to ST/BBI prevention for GBT2Q populations. Topics are broad, including how to incorporate two-spirit issues into your organization, anti-black racism, sex worker rights, community-led initiatives, and more. Each guest presenter is asked to make some connection to ST/BBI prevention to meet funder needs but a holistic combination prevention approach is also permitted.
Presenters are recruited through several means. The first few presenters were known to organizers and recruited directly. When members register they also have the opportunity to propose a presentation for the group. Finally, the group members themselves were solicited for their suggestions for presenters and topics. Initial guest presentations included:
Anti-Black Homophobia at Canada Blood Services
Mi’kmaw Two Spirit Governance by Kepmite’lsi - Two Spirit Governance in Health
Black Male Sexual Victimization
Settlement Service Organizations' Inclusivity of LGBTQ Immigrants
Practicalities
Location and Scheduling
Meetings are held monthly over Zoom. There have been noted challenges finding a day and time that works consistently for participants and staff included.
Recruitment and Engagement
Initial recruitment was through targeted email to partner organizations. Word-of-mouth is now our primary means of recruitment.
Registration
Participants register through a Google Form which indicates the closed nature of the group. Once they have registered, they receive a confirmation email - including the option to opt in to a member directory. The registration form includes:
A description of the group
Contact information
Accessibility considerations
Province of residence
Role in 2SLGBTQIA+ health
Interest in being a guest presenter
Members are emailed the unique meeting link prior to each monthly meeting. The group has not chosen to publicly advertise up to this point.
Resources Required
Human Resources
A program coordinator to oversee staff and provide guidance.
A program facilitator to develop evaluation tools, recruit speakers, facilitate sessions and answer questions.
A community trainee assisted the program coordinator and would act as a substitute facilitator when the coordinator was unable to attend.
Both the program facilitator and community trainee must be BIPOC 2SLGBTQIA+ community members.
Material Resources
With the program entirely online, a platform to accommodate all attendees is required. The group began with Google Meet but later changed the platform to Zoom.
Financial Resources
Each presenter is provided an honorarium of $75.
Challenges
Attendees from External Communities
Despite being very clear that the group is a closed space on the registration form, some individual members who did not identify as BIPOC and as 2SLGBTQIA+ did sign up. As the first few registrants were known to organizers, these individuals were identified, contacted and subsequently removed from the database.
In response, the registration form language was updated to be more explicit. As well, if there is any question about whether a member should be included, an email is sent to all registered members as a reminder of the nature of the group. To date, no one who is not BIPOC has participated.
Locating Guest Presenters
As cited above, there is a systemic lack of people doing this work in Atlantic Canada. While our initial hope was to only have presenters from the region, the group soon realized this is not a practical solution for a monthly program. Given the limited number of BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ community members in Atlantic Canada, the scope is now expanded.
There are also related challenges locating presenters at times that are viable for group members
Successes
Evaluations are very strong - demonstrating increased knowledge and positive reviews of guest presenters.
Our facilitators report greatly engaged participants with lengthy discussions around topics presented (often exceeding the allotted 90 minutes).
Program Materials
For further information, please contact:
Kirk Furlotte, Atlantic Regional Manager
Community-Based Research Centre
kirk.furlotte@cbrc.net
902-449-4954
7071 Bayers Road, Starlite 302
Halifax, NS
B3L 2C2