October 2023-Meeting Minutes

Camrose Pride – October Meeting

Date: Monday, October 16, 2023

Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm Place: ONLINE ZOOM And COMPOSITE SCHOOL

1. Call to order – confirm quorum – check in:

What is everybody’s capacity levels?

Green: I have capacity to do more than what I did this month towards Camrose Pride.

Yellow: The work so far has been manageable.

Red: The amount of work required of me this month caused me stress.

Megan – cochair – she/her – green / yellow

Kendra – health promotion AHS – yellow 

Teri – she / her – yellow – member at large, QSA at Composite

Ray – he/him – treasurer, tech support – yellow

Rose – she/her – secretary – green 

Nick – he/him – green

Steven – cochair – he/him – green

Gus – he/him – yellow

Brigette – she/her – yellow

2. Financial report

• Funding report: Emails sent out, nothing heard back
• Gus and Megan will meet Jackie Lovely and present library project
• Council Committee of the Whole – Oct 30 / Nov 2-4pm

• City hall, council of chambers 
• Megan, Gus and Stacey
• Goal: presentation of library project, funding $5,000 for promotion and program costs

• Camrose Community Grant (February application)
  • Arts & Culture 5,000 
  • Missed September application, will apply February
• Jaywalkers: 6 volunteers, $1,000, June first weekend 

3. Old business
4. New business
   1. Preview Days at Augustana Oct 21 – Teri and Ray will be present with our poster 

• Counter-protest: 1 Million March, “Hands off our Kids.” How to support our people tabling at Augustana. Unclear where the local protest will be; not specifically targeting Augustana; not worth energy. Hysteria > out of reach > fight or flight > not thinking 

2. Augustana Show of Transgender Solidarity (Lucas Crawford) 

• Share trans experiences in Camrose, honorarium 
• Early November

3. Trans and nonbinary lunch and learn (Natalie)

• Pamphlets and education on trans + nonbinary resources

4. Event planning for Camrose Pride at the Library

• Education – Gender and sexuality spectrums, religion

Currently:

• Facebook/Instagram activity, website
• Community registration night, mental health day: could be approached by townspeople with questions and knowledge-sharing
• Visible and present for connection 

Goals:

• Emphasize that there is a wide spectrum within the Rainbow Community, that we are not experts but are sharing experiences. Not political. Facts not emotions
• Health impact stats: suicide / ideation in LGBTQ+ kids dropping with education and support, home is not safe for some kids
• Educational blitz on social media at same time as 1 Million Children protests
• Office at social services to support with resources and rebuttals to fundamental religious arguments, sexual and social education. 
• Someone to call / hot-line, open coffee chats, reference sheets 
• Edmonton library + Augustana: human library that loans out people with different experiences (religion, rainbow spectrum) 
• Information on gender norms, social transitions, therapy, counselling, not overnight but a long + careful process

• Visibility – LGBTQ2SIA+ highly hidden in Camrose, addressing stigma
  • Pride events, pride month
  • BVJ parade float 
  • Advertise other community (other cities)’s events
  • Supportive businesses, classrooms, doctors, barber / hairstylists, massage therapists: sign, rainbow tag, stickers, QR codes
    • Discreet symbol on doors, or does this make these places a target? Stickers are already obvious, the places might not mind being visible
    • Design stickers with QR code link to our website
    • How to vet places? Bring to proven supportive / inclusive places? Apply to be on the safe list?
    • Haircut and style prices. Chatters is potentially charging based on length and cut not gender
    • Could provide educational opportunities
    • List safe spaces on website: library, Fox and Fable, FIKA, Sweeterie, Starbucks etc. 
• Networking – increase attendance at events
  • GSA success at library: different ages (children, teens, parents, adults)
    • Posted on socials day-of with photo of activity 
  • How to bring more people together and bring in more people 
  • Mingle at events, board members take active responsibility to sit with and include new people, help facilitate
  • Name, pronouns, fun fact as icebreaker 
• Activism – more prominent in community planning (with library)
• Spirituality – heart of community
  • Shame is processed in community, acceptance and pride
  • Gay people abused socially-sexually, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, discarded from community, not recognized
  • All life is spiritual, mental, emotional, physical. Holistic, embracing all parts of humanity
  • Spirituality beyond religious value. Reaffirm spirituality withing queer lens
  • Connection, belonging
  • Communal creativity: sing, create, dress up, decorate, meditate 

5. Standing items
   1. Donor for pride parade 2024
      1. Tracy Brandingen from Remax would pay for our parade insurance next July 780-781-0292 Tbrandingen@gmail.com
   2. Next Camrose Pride meeting set date: November 20, 2023
      1. Memoriam 
      2. 7pm-8pm start
   3. Updating website: Saturday November 4 @ Noon
6. Adjournment and check out:

“Camrose Pride Community’s mission is to create space for wellness through providing opportunities for education, collaboration, and engagement.”

Name one word that stands out to you in our mission statement or add your own.

Inclusive, Community, Excitement, Action, Community, Education, Progress, Healing, Commitment, Community 

To Do

• Design stickers with QR codes to bring to safe spaces
• Steven will update library resources to ensure accuracy 
• Rose can design zine with information from Stacey and Kendra (medical and nurse information) and from Louis (Camp Fyrefly, Gender / Sexuality Clinic at U of A): surface level, introductory facts on transitioning process (social, medical), information, resources, health care and outreach available in Central Alberta 
• Pamphlet on Big Issues: kids’ safety (mutilation, pedophiles), religious, health concerns: statistics
• Rose will reach out to Thea. United Church – Louis will ask Joanne Murphy. Stacey will reach out to: religious professors at Augustana: Joseph Weide, Kirsten Hyatt, Craig Wetland [chaplain], Ian Wilson. Gathering resources for religious LGBTQ+ people, rebuttals to fundamentalist arguments to create reference sheet, zine, pamphlet, social media post
• Teri will: Talk to teachers, counselors, principles, find ways to share info about safety for LGBTQ+ children in schools. Eric – diversity coordinator for BRSD. PD sessions, video, information sharing 
• Gus mentioned writing a letter to editor of Booster about CPC meeting about education, religion and trans issues 
• Megan will look into mental health support (LGBTQ counsellor in Camrose)
• Social media posts for education during counter-protests: need topics / information
• Next meeting, everyone will bring resources