Pivot
Incubating Community Projects in Atlantic Canada and the Prairies
Created by CBRC
What is Pivot?
Pivot is a CBRC community health leadership program for gay, bi, trans, Two-Spirit, and queer (GBT2Q) men and masculine folk interested in becoming community health advocates.
Throughout Pivot, participants gain the health literacy, practical skills, and community networks needed to identify and collectively respond to the systemic and structural challenges impacting their health and that of their peers.
Over a range of sessions, participants complete a series of interactive workshops with community leaders to develop a critical understanding of GBT2Q health and learn practical strategies for health promotion including digital advocacy, policy advocacy, and media relations. Upon completion of the core training, Pivot provides participants with opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills by developing their own community health advocacy project in partnership with local organization(s) in their cities/regions.
Incubating Local Interventions through Applied Learning
While all Advance Alliance partners operate their own incubator program for individuals seeking resources for local-level projects, CBRC’s unique role as the national coordinator for Pivot results in a highly differentiated program design.
In comparative terms, while other partners choose to provide micro-grants to successful applicants, CBRC leverages its incubator project funding to advance the community health advocacy projects devised through the Pivot program. The purpose of this structure is two-fold:
To facilitate opportunities for applied learning among GBT2Q community members
To provide resources to forward community-led interventions informed by the diverse lived experiences of GBT2Q-identifying individuals
Designing and Implementing Collaborative GBT2Q-centred Projects
Within its years as a pilot initiative, Pivot has been delivered with partner agencies in:
St. John’s, NL (in partnership with Quadrangle NL)
Halifax, NS (in partnership with the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project)
Edmonton, AB (in partnership with the Queer & Trans Health Collective)
To date, Pivot cohorts have developed and implemented several community interventions. Highlights include:
Moving Forward
It is notable that collaboration with further delivery partners was delayed as an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. CBRC will continue fostering further partnerships, with an emphasis on the Prairie and Atlantic regions that are the organization’s focus within the Advance Alliance.
For more 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
Spencer Belanger, Prairies Regional Manager
Community Based Research Centre
spencer.belanger@cbrc.net
403-835-3996
Calgary, AB