Author: Nikki Featherstone

October 15, 2019

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in Meeting Minutes 0 Comment

Camrose Pride Community
Date: Tuesday, Oct 15, 2019
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Place: Camrose Public Library Bunker Meeting Room
In attendance: Zach, Lucas, Ron, Amielle, Stephen, Nikki, Dawn, Candy (via telephone), Deborah Ann (Bethel Lutheran), Lindsay (Bethel Lutheran), Kyla (CSL Student), Danielle (CSL Student), 

  1. Introductions
  1. Financial Report / Bank Account
    1. Margaret (CDSS Banker) states nothing has changed since last month’s Financial Report – CDSS is in review and preparing everything for transfer.
    2. We must transfer to operating our own bank account and finances.
    3. Candy motions to give signing authority of new bank account and give signing authority to:
      1. Co-chair: Gus Belcourt
      2. Co-chair: Zach Stevens
      3. Secretary: Lucas Hill
      4. Treasurer: Candy Morningway
      5. Motion seconded by Amielle Christopherson
      6. Motion passes unanimously.
    4. Nikki will make the initial interaction to get it set up, and each of the signing authorities will go to the bank to sign. She will begin with TD Bank because of their pro-queer culture.
    5. These minutes will become the official document that will be signed by all the cosigners and provided to the financial institution.
    6. After the bank account is set up we will transfer all funds from CDSS to our CPC bank account.
  1. Society Status
    1. Update – The cheque sent with our application was cashed, so we know they received it! No other communication has been received as of yet. The email used is the CPC email, so it should not be lost. We are hopeful!
  1. Upcoming Events and Plans
    1. 4th Annual Fall Family Dance Party – Saturday, November 16th, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
      1. Event is booked at Retro
      2. DJ is booked 
        1. Duane Allen
          Allenhouse Wedding & Sound
          780-278-2723
      3. Poster is complete and ready to be shared:
        1. Nikki will send the poster to Stephen, who works at Staples and will use his discount to print them off.
        2. Nikki will pick-up the posters from Stephen and deliver to CentraCam to distribute around Camrose.
      4. Advertising:
        1. Nikki makes a motion to spend up to $130 for the Morning News advertisement
          1. Amielle seconds the motion
          2. Motion is unanimously passed.
        2. Nikki will contact the Morning News and have them place an add for 5 days. 
      5. Tickets are at Retro and at Quantum Comics:
        1. There is a limit of 150 people in Retro, so we cannot sell over that. 
        2. Please remind friends and family to purchase early.
        3. We have decided not to use Event Brite.
      6. Decorations:
        1. Lucas will get streamers and glow sticks.
      7. Performers
        1. Robyn Bank$
        2. Sir Racha
      8. Door Prizes
        1. If anybody knows any business or gift certificates, please ask them about potentially getting door prizes.
        2. Lucas will make a Google Sheets, and it will be shared so that we don’t all hit up the same place.
        3. We will not canvas at the grocery stores that supported our BBQ Pride in the Park, because their support is more valuable there. 
      9. Accessibility
        1. The event is wheelchair accessible
  1. Pam Rocker – Sunday, November 17th, 2019
    1. Pam is working with the United Church on the sermon
    2. The Bethel Lutheran has agreed to offer us their space for the afternoon workshop, but does not want to be listed as a sponsor as they are uncomfortable with it due to not being familiar with Pam Rocker’s work yet.
      1. There is a maximum size of 200 people at the Bethel Church.
        1. They said they would also provide cookies! 
      2. Members of the Bethel have pledged funds to cover the majority, if not all, of the afternoon workshop fee.
        1. Deborah Ann will send the names of people who are involved in funds to have Pam at the Bethel Lutheran to Nikki.
      3. The United Church will be spearheading the luncheon at the United Church. 
      4. Nikki has sent Pam Rocker an email asking for details on what the workshop will be about, for advertising – She has asked for our take on the name of the workshop name, and we have decided on:
        1. Coming Out in Faith: A Look at Religion, Faith, and PIE
      5. We will start sharing and promoting the event soon.
        1. Nikki will connect with Zach on creating the poster. Nikki will do the social media aspect of it.
  1. Winter Holidays – Events – Queer Family Ugly Sweater Pot Luck
    1. In their past we have done a potluck in the United Church in the lower parlour/fellowship hall. 
    2. Amielle suggests that we have dinner party potluck at the same time as our December meeting, which is Monday, December 9th. Location: TBD. It will be an ugly Christmas sweater party. 
  1. Pride Week – Last week of February, 2020
    1. Amielle is a member of the AQUA Exec. AQUA has not gotten very far in the planning process quite yet, but is having a meeting this week. 
    2. Melissa has been invited to come talk with us about what they are planning
    3. We hope that we can volunteer our time to help organize and set-up events and the like. 
    4. Nikki is excited about the opportunity of doing an art therapy workshop.
    5. It was nice last year that it was throughout the whole city. We hope to support them in continuing that.
    6. We hope to involve the QSAs at the schools as well, as it would be nice to have all the queer organizations in Camrose working together. Opening night is that week. What would the QSA like to do?
    7. Lucas will get a list of all the QSAs, and we will create a personal invite to see what they would like to do/have done. 
    8. Please everyone, think about any ways you can participate and help.
  2. AQUA is doing a Reading with Royalty event: Spooking Edition – 18+
    1. Date: October 25th, 8:00pm- 10:00pm at Augustana Performance Building
    2. Performers:
      1. Sir Racha
      2. Robyn Bank$
    3. Zach is adding an educational element as well. 
    4. For grownups and by donations. 
  3. Aqua is doing Beers for Queers in the second Friday of the month, starting November. The first will be Friday, November 8th at the Fox and Fable. The details are still being worked out. 
  4. Nikki would like to do a Queer paint night in the new year
  1. Strategic planning session – Dates are booked with Michael!
    1. Friday, January 31, 2020 5-9pm and Saturday Feb 1st, 2020, 10-4pm; location TBD
    2. This is where we will be planning for the future (5 year, 10 year, 20 year). For the Leadership Team only!
      1. Would be great to talk with the membership – maybe send out a social media invite – to see what vision they have for the Community prior to this meeting
  1. New Poly in the Prairies Facebook Group created under altView.
    1. To avoid splitting/fracturing of the CPC, the connection group was created by altView so that it exists outside of the CPC. Poly queer humans have expressed having a hard time finding each other in the local Camrose and area community, without having to ‘out’ themselves are every event. This FB group gives them a way to do so – please share the group with any Poly humans you know in the area! 
  1. CSL Placements – Welcome!
    1. Research projects:
      1. Nikki will be the supervisor for our two students. Nikki had sent the project ideas to the students.
      2. Best Practices for Safe Spaces Allyship Agreements
      3. List of Support Groups – local area for queer folks within faith groups with traditional homophobic literature 
  1. Fire Ceremony Debrief – Friday night before long weekend.
    1. Attended by 4.
    2. There were drums, fire, and it was very affirming. 
  1. CommUNITY Healing Workshop Debrief
    1. Co-facilitated by Candy and Nikki.
    2. There were 2 officers, staff sergeant, and members of the queer community. The two uniformed officers were called and had to leave early.
    3. There was a validation of homophobia in law enforcement and in our laws. It validated the past and moved to what we wanted in the future.
    4. There was focus on the othering of each groups experiences by other members of the community. There was a focus on both the similarities and differences of those experiences. We focused on what was contributed by both communities. There was a lot of impact. 
    5. Both communities are excited moving forward with what they have learned. 
    6. Nikki will talk to the force about opportunities for Pride Week. 
  1. Upcoming Regular Meetings
  1. Regular Meeting for Planning and Connection
    1. Tuesday, November 12th, 2019 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Camrose Public Library Irving Room
    2. October and November meeting dates have been rescheduled with the Library to work around statutory holidays. 
  1. EspressOUT
    1. Monday, October 28th, 2019 5:30pm – 7:00pm
      1. Location: Camrose Coffee 
      2. Theme: Divination theme! Hallows!
  1. Friends and Family Meeting
    1. They have returned to regular meetings starting October 7th. Next meeting is November 4th. 
      1. 1st Monday of every month, Irving Room at the Library, 6pm
  1. Sharing Circle
  1. Breaking Bread

Sept. 9, 2019

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in Meeting Minutes 0 Comment

Date: Monday, September 9th, 2019
Time 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Place: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room
Attendance: Gus B., Zach S., Lucas H., Ron (Happy Birthday this month!), Pastor Jon (United Church), Carmen (Retro) 
Regrets: Margaret H., Candy M., Robyn G., Nikki F.

  1. Introductions
  2. Financial report
    1. We have approx. $3,200 in funds.
  3. Society Status
    1. CPC’s application has been filed.
  4. Debrief
    1. Community Registration Night
      1. Candy was a success! We still hope to get promotional swag.
    2. Fall Bank$ Ball
      1. A roaring success!
      2. 100-120 People
      3. 3 Guests
        1. Lilith Fair (Edmonton)
        2. JBR (Edmonton)
        3. Sir Racha (Camrose)
      4. Successful door prizes from many sponsors
      5. Report: No protesters!
      6. Thank you to sponsors!
  5. Pam Rocker
    1. November 17th, 2019 – Sunday
    2. United Church – working together to make a sermon
    3. Jon requests a contact with Pam Rocker – Gus will email pastorjonuc@gmail.com and Pam Rocker to create introduction
    4. Afternoon Workshop:
      1. Location: Bethel Pastor (?) – Ellen Parker our contact has emailed Pastor Debra-Anne possible locatin for afternoon
      2. Subject: Gus will contact Pam Rocker for Title
    5. Gus will email Nikki with the photographs she has requested.
    6. Gus will let Jon know by the end of the month of the location
    7. Amielle recommends Canva for graphic design.
  6. Strategic Planning Session
    1. 6 month meetings about strategic planning
    2. 5 to 10 year plans
      1. What are our goals
      2. How do we want to grow this
    3. Nikki will contact Michael about 3 potential dates in the next month or two and see what works best.
  7. Community Meals
    1. after/before meetings either at a restaurant
    2. connect beforehand or after to also mitigate tangential speaking
    3. Gus also offers his place once that have moved
    4. Amielle will email Nikki to let her know about these plans so she can tag that on to the email about call for agenda items.
  8. Queer Subgroups Facebook
    1. Potentially creating a closed group attached to CPC
    2. Potentially creating group chats for these people interested, invited in through CPC.
    3. We will table this until Nikki can return
  9. Fire Ceremony
    1. October 11th, 7:30pm-9Pm
    2. Nikki will promote through social media
    3. Nikki will provide more information at the next meeting
    4. Questions raised: is this is part of a larger response?
  10. Upcoming Events and Plans
    1. Community Healing Workshop – Culture Days – FREE
      1. September 28th, 12:30pm-4:30pm
      2. Please register by contacting Nikki at NKMFeatherstone@gmail.com
    2. Fall Family Dance
      1. Saturday, November 16th, 7:00pm – 10:00pm
      2. Retro has agreed to host
        1. You cannot bring outside food (except a cake)
        2. Saturday is karaoke night
        3. Capacity is 150
        4. Planning Committee
          1. What do you want to accomplish?
            1. Is it to raise funds?
            2. Pay for itself?
            3. Just for volunteers and their families?
        5. We offer events and guests, that do cost more (we cannot front that cost). Carmen has a list of people who can be contacted for entertainment.
          1. Magician/Variety Act
            1. Variety of price points ($1,000 for big show)
          2. Comedians
          3. Actors
          4. 387 Entertainment – Braden in Millet
            1. He will help share andpromote and is very community oriented.
          5. Robyn Bank$ will be making an appearance.
          6. Alberta Princess – Jenaea
          7. Zach will contact Sir Racha about making an appearance
          8. Mini-drag show with Sir Racha and Robyn.
          9. Shuffleboard
          10. Washer Toss
          11. Giant Jenga
          12. Karaoke
            1. Karaoke Contest?
          13. Open to setting up more for that
          14. Carmen or Daughter can DJ, especially if we provide a song list if we’d like to save money on a DJ
          15. Joshua Boone (Dr. Detail), through Tish, has a DJ business and loves community events, as well.
          16. Bill York is a DJ with a photobooth as well.
          17. Retro also has backdrops available
        6. Food
          1. Retro must cater
          2. No outside food allowed
          3. Open at 4 throughout week
          4. Open at 2 on weekends
          5. Retro is always available for booking outside of those hours if we’d like to keep that in mind for the future.
        7. Tickets
          1. What will we charge?
          2. Last year prices:
            1. $5/person
            2. $10/family
          3. Retro Dollars can be used for arcade games and pool tables. Carmen proposed each ticket comes with 2 retro dollars.
        8. Carmen will contact DJs about potential prices.
        9. Guswill contact Tish to ask Joshua Boone about prices
        10. Door Prizes?
        11. Carmen will put up posters and social media from Metro’s accounts once we have more info.
        12. Planning Committee
          1. Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 at Retro from 7:00pm – 9:00pm
          2. Nikki will get information about years past Fall Family Dances
        13. Last Dance:
          1. ~100 people at last family dance?
        14. Presale Tickets?
  11. Regular Meetings
    1. ExpressOUT
      1. Monday, September 30th, 2019 – 5:30pm – 7:00pm
      2. Theme: Puzzles
        1. Amielle will purchase second hand puzzles
      3. Future Ideas: Pool Tournament at Retro? Maybe a separate event?
    2. Regular Meeting for Planning and Connection
      1. Tuesday, October 15th, 2019 6:00pm – 8:00pm
      2. Notice: Due to stat: Tuesday, November 12, 2019
      3. Where: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room
    3. Friends and Family Meeting
      1. Monday, October 7th, 2019
        1. Nikki will contact Brian/Colleen Nelson to confirm time
  12. Agenda Items for Next Meeting
    1.  Camrose Pride Community Promotional Items
      1. Sticker Sheets
      2. Tattoos
      3. Pins
    2. Calla Peacey with BRSD
      1. Her mom has a promotional
      2. 4imprint.ca
      3. Lucas will contact Calla
      4. tattoos4schools.ca
        1. May do decals
      5. thingsinabucket
      6. vistaprint
    3. Booster did not allow ad about Fall Bank$ Ball
    4. Morning News is a better venue.
    5. Community Events Section free for non-profits, etc.
    6. Coffee News
  13. Sharing Circle

Monthly Meeting Agenda

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in Committee Work, Meeting Agendas 0 Comment

Camrose Pride Community
Date: Monday, September 9, 2019
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Place: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room

  1. Introductions
  2. Financial Report
    • Margaret (Banker) to send in the Financial Report
    • Presented by Candy or Gus
  3. Society Status
    • Update – Our application has been filed!! Now we wait.
  4. Debriefs:
    • Community Registration Night
    • Fall BANK$
  5. Pam Rocker Update
    • Pam is booked for Nov. 17th. She is working with the United Church on the sermon – what about the workshop in the afternoon?
      • Do we have a location?
      • A theme she’s going to talk about?
  6. For Poster – Nikki needs Gus to forward the email Pam sent with photos attached as actual email, since the attachment does not work to save pictures from.
  7. Strategic planning session – CPC Leadership Team to schedule a separate meeting to sit down and prepare our 1 year/5 year/10 year plan.
    • Michael from altView has offered his services (free) to facilitate this Strategic Planning meeting; He would assist us by guiding the CPC Team in the planning process, not telling us what we should plan. J
    • If the Team is agreeable to this, Nikki will begin process to set a date with everyone
  8. Amielle – group meals, after planning sessions or another time. Creating community around food
  9. Nikki – has had a request for specific queer group supports. What does CPC think about creating FB groups of queer subgroups for connection purposes – Camrose Poly Group, Bi Group, Queer Teen Group, etc. People are having a hard time connecting without having to out all their private stuff at initial meetings.
  10. Nikki – notice of  Fire Ceremony – Before we can move on to repairing the wound from having people protest our existence within the community, we need an outlet to validate the wounding itself
    • Nikki would like to hold a Queer Community Fire Ceremony, on October 11th, 7:30-9pm, at the Jubilee Park.
    • Focus – to give members an avenue to voice how this experience has changed their perception of safety within the Camrose community, or any other piece they will want to share. Allies are welcome
  11. This is the first of a 3 part seasonal response that Nikki would like to facilitate – Autumn season, Fire Ceremony; Spring season, Wishing Tree community art; Summer season, Community Mural (hopefully)
  12. Upcoming Events and Plans
  • CommUNITY Healing workshop – FREE – on September 28th, 12:30pm-4:30pm.
    • This workshop is for the queer community and law enforcement, and is being funded as a part of Alberta Culture Days. Nikki and Candy are co-facilitating this community art workshop in efforts to create healing and integration of our two subgroups. Please see Workshop Invitation for more details – registration is through Nikki @ NKMFeatherstone@gmail.com
  • Fall Family Dance – Retro is our location for Nov. 16th. (day before Pam Rocker)
    • Gus – spoke to Carmen about price to have all the games free for kids
    • Other ideas? What made the Family Dance at the Bailey so successful?

13.Upcoming Regular Meetings

  • Regular Meeting for Planning and Connection
    1. TUESDAY, October 15th, 2019 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Camrose Public Library Irving Room
    1. October and November meeting dates have been rescheduled with the Library to work around stats:
      1. Tuesdays, October 15, and November 12, 2019
  • EspressOUT
    • Monday, September 30th, 2019 5:30pm – 7:00pm
      • Location: Camrose Coffee
      • Theme: Ideas?
        • (Nikki would like to do another Divination theme in October, close to Hallows)
  • Friends and Family Meeting
    • They will not be meeting for June, July, August, and September. They will return to regular meetings in October.
      • Do we know if they are still doing the 1st Monday evenings and at the Library?

14. Sharing Circle

August 12, 2019

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in Committee Work, Meeting Minutes 0 Comment

Camrose Pride CommunityDate:
Monday, August 12th, 2019
Time 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Place: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room
Attendance: Gus B., Nikki F., Lucas H., Stephen, Pastor John Helps (United Church), Brian Nelson (United Church), Zack, Erika, Candy M. (via phone), Robyn G., Amielle C., Ron
Regrets: Margaret H.

  1. Introductions
  2. Guest – Erika – Community Service Learning (CSL) Student for Fall 2009
    1. Student Advisor
      1. Erika works with classes to pair students with community organizations.  Augustana has a course coming up in Human Sexuality and Intimate Relationships taught by Professor Sean Moore, who has been involved with CPC in the past.
      2. Students work for about 20 hours over the semester in whatever way is most beneficial to the organization they’re working with. It is a mututally beneficial relationship, with the student gaining relevant real world experience.
      3. Erika and Dr. Moore are looking for an organization to work with from October to December.
      4. Students can potentially help with events, work on a resource, etc.
    2. Ideas
      1. The student could research best practices in other communities about reaffirming churches
        1. Pastor John Helps suggested a starting point could be the United Church’s Affirming Ministries Program.
        2. He also suggested that many Anglican churches are affirming.
      2. Candy told us there have been student workers with About Time Productions in the past with success.
    3. Supervisor/Contact
      1. Nikki will be the supervisor/contact of the students.
    4. The students are invited to attend meetings.
  3. Guest – Zack Stevens/Robyn Bank$
    1. Fall Bank$ Ball – Saturday, September 7th, 2019
      1. This will be the second annual Fall Bank$ Ball, which is a counterpoint to pair with Augustana’s So You Think You Can Drag in February. There will be some Edmonton drag queens, as well as Camrose’s Sir Racha
      2. Location: Bailey Theatre
      3. Age:14+/Parental Discretion
      4. Sponsorship?
      5. There will be numbered tickets for door prizes and more!
    2. Volunteer Opportunities (free entry!)
      1. Work the front
        1. Ticket sales, etc.
      2. Security
      3. DJ
        1. Tom Merklinger
      4. Decorating – before and after
      5. There are already 6 confirmed volunteers.
    3. Zack will send poster to Nikki to share especially with Erika at Augustana who will both make call outs for volunteers.
  4. BVJ Parade Debrief (TW: Hate Speech)
    1. Hate Signs/Chalk in front of Library during Reading with Royalty
      1. There were two separate posters that stated Bring Rainbows Back to God and God Hates Gays They were held by two protestors who are confirmed as being the same people who protested the Camrose Public Library’s Reading with Royalty and were subsequently banned from the library.
      2. The protestors are from a cult called Superhuman Divinity Ministry. They appear to be the only members. They post extensively to social media, escalating their hate speech.
      3. Pastor John Helps told us the United Church has been receiving monthly packages pushing an anti-gay and anti-Islamic position for over a year now. The United Church would like to take a more public stance against homophobia and hate speech. They have alerted the police about this issue.
    2. Support
      1. Pastor Deborah of Bethel Lutheran sent in her support.
      2. Colleen (Friends and Family) sent in her support from United.
      3. Open Door has also expressed support, stating the cult has been banned from Open Door.
    3. Options
      1. Ignore
        1. We would refrain from sending energy and from giving press.
      2. Responsive Statement
        1. “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
        2. We would like to create a message of love, affirmation, and support. This response would also acknowledge and focus on the support of the wider Camrose community in light of recent events. We want to emphasize that we are very thankful for the community support. We would also like to take this as an opportunity to promote ourselves and speak to what we have been doing in the community. We take this seriously, and the safety of our community is of the utmost importance to us. We can use this conflict as an opportunity to educate and reduce risk. We would like to avoid escalation.
        3. PIE: Public. Intentional. Explicit.
      3. Response Venues
        1. Social Media
        2. Booster
        3. Community Event
    4. Nikki will speak to our police liaison, John, about this soon.
    5. The United Church would like to join in on our response. We can ask other community organizations, churches, libraries, and the police. We would also like to contact the Camrose County.
    6. Robyn Bank$ wonders about having increased security for the Fall Banks Ball. The Camrose Police Service have been proactive in the past about supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Nikki will contact our police liaison to ask for extra support during the event.
    7. The United Church has asserted that they could be an affirming space in the presence of next year’s parade as the protestors were located near the church.
  5. Guest – The United Church
    1. Pastor John Helps
      1. The United Church is committed to affirming congregations
    2. Speaker – Pam Rocker (Calgary) – Sunday, November 17th
      1. Fees: $1,000 for the day
        1. ~$300-400 for sermon
        2. ~$300-400 for following workshop
          1. Could/should the workshop has a fee to mitigate costs?
      2. Pam Rocker works with people who have undergone conversion therapy.
      3. Gus will contact Pam Rocker as soon as possible. Nikki will let everyone know once we have confirmation of Pam Rocker and the Fall Family Dance dates.
      4. Ellen from Bethel Lutheran church is hoping to share cost. Gus will contact Bethel Lutheran about donations/sharing cost.
      5. The United Church can host Pam Rocker as a guest pastor. They have expressed that space is often the easiest thing for them to provide to support the community. Their sanctuary holds up to 300 people.
      6. They can potentially rally donations via collection place.
    3. Gus hopes to address which churches are affirming in Camrose
      1. There are a range of churches in Camrose, some more affirming than others. It is a potentially awkward subject.
      2. CSL student(s) could potentially do some research within the community.
      3. Pastor John Helps will inquire with his church if the United Church can give any donations (by have Pam Rocker as a designated guest pastor). John will contact Nikki afterwards. We’re thinking about 300 or 400 dollars. John will let Nikki know at the end of the week.
    4. Publicity
      1. How can we broadcast LGBT affirmations to the wider community as the United Church?
  6. Fall Family Dance – Tentative Date: Saturday, November 16th
    1. Space
      1. Bailey Theatre is completely booked. What are some alternative spaces? In the future, we will aim to book the Bailey Theatre earlier, as it offers lightning, bartending, and more.
      2. Alternative Spaces
        1. Elks Hall has been a venue in the past
        2. Retro is queer friendly and Carmen is vocal about supporting the LGBTQ+ community. There is a stage and a bar. They have discounted rate with a non-profit. Gus will contact Retro about potentially hosting once we have confirmation on Pam Rocker’s date.
        3. United Church
    2. We will pair the Fall Family Dance with Pam Rocker to make a whole weekend of LGBTQ+ affirmation.
  7. Camp fYrefly Resource Fair Debrief
    1. While it was nice to be there, interest waned as most students were from Edmonton.
    2. It would be nice for future CPC promotion tables to have some sort of ‘swag’.
    3. Swag Options
      1. Buttons: CPL says it is about 2 cents a button. We could borrow a button maker from the library or About Time Productions..
      2. Branded swag from places like Vista Print. It would be less expensive to bundle an order with another organization. Robyn will let us know the next time the library orders swag.
    4. Nikki – Art Therapy Workshop – Coming Out Stories/Staying in Stories
      1. It was a success, but promoted more questions: How do allies come out? Can we have stories of people who have shifted from homophobia to places of love?
  8. Reading with Royalty Debrief
    1. Success! There were about 70 kids, which is an increase from last year. Candy brought ATPs whole camp. Some kids said they had the best day of their life.
    2. Melissa (Sir Racha) unfortunately couldn’t make it, but will come next year.
    3. See above about protests.
    4. The library would love to have people write letters of support for Reading with Royalty! Please send them to the library. Emails are acceptable. Please send emails to rgray@prl.ab.ca.
  9. Haven Art Therapy Update
    1. There is a pilot group in the works
      1. Alberta Society for the Promotion of Sexual Health (ASPSH) Donation
        1. Tracy Burnett for ASPSH contacted Nikki in June. Donated $2,000 to CMHA in partnership with Haven Art Therapy and CPC for pilot group. Once we have a society we can receive donations of a similar ilk.
        2. The pilot gorup Must be run through Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) framework.
        3. Calgary has a queer centered art therapy group that could be something to model ourselves after. While Nikki can do the therapy part, a community member can be involved as well as support.
      2. Date: There is no date as of yet.
      3. Space: There is no space as of yet.
      4. Age: 16+ intergenerational
      5. Attendance: 10-15 people max
  10. Leadership Positions
    1. Melissa has declined our co-chair offer.
    2. Gus nominates Candy Morningway as new treasurer. Seconded by Amielle.
      1. Candy would like to make the caveat that she is involved with 4 other boards,and would like to maintain a positive work life balance. Margaret has been doing it with CDSS. Margaret will continue being our banker until we have received our status. Candy will contact Margaret about learning her new position.
    3. Gus nominates Zach Stevens as co-chair of CPC. Candy seconds this. Gus will contact Zach Stevens about learning his new position.
  11. Society Status
    1. There is still at least a 7 month backlog.
    2. Nikki had us sign documents for society status. These were also signed by our new co-chair.
    3. After we receive status, there will be an annual return/update required. That is where changes are noted.
    4. It is important to be aware that we are becoming a society, not a charitable organization. We cannot give out charitable receipts, among other restrictions. 
  12. Financial Report
    1. We still have about $3,200.
    2. Nikki will send an email to Margaret about the new treasurer. Margaret will teach Candy about her new position.
    3. Amielle suggest a biannual meeting of planning and budgeting to be a Strategic Planning committee. We need a strategic plan.
    4. Strategic Plan/Annual Calendar
      1. Once we have an Annual Calendar we can do project planning around that.
      2. Michael from Altview will support the creation of a Strategic Plan and will come to Camrose to support that once we have society status. 
  13. Community Event Registration – Thursday, September 5th
    1. Amielle and Lucas will be attending
    2. Lucas will bring trifold, and will update the upcoming events area with the Robyn Bank$ Ball.
    3. Lucas will bring table cloth and get rainbow flags from Gus to decorate table.
    4. Lucas will print email sign up list.
    5. Lucas will print little handouts again.
    6. Amielle and Lucas will be in contact about creating some swag with the CPL’s button maker.
  14. Regular Meetings
    1. ExpressOUT
      1. Monday, August 26th, 2019 – 5:30pm – 7:00pm
      2. Theme: Colouring – Please, bring your own colouring pages/books!
      3. Reminder: ExpressOUT is all ages! Social Gathering of all people that are queer and/or allied. Please let people know.
    2. Regular Meeting for Planning and Connection
      1. Monday, September 9th, 2019 6:00pm – 8:00pm
      2. Where: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room
      3. October and November meeting dates have been rescheduled with the library to work around stats
        1. Tuesdays, October 15th, and Tuesday, November 12th, 2019
    3. Friends and Family Meeting
      1. Monday, October 7th, 2019
      2. Andrea Dyck with the BRSD is very open to working with us to accomplish tasks. Lucas will ensure she is kept in the loop about things that are happening with CPC.
  15. Agend Items for Next Meeting
    1.  Biannual Strategic Planning Meeting
  16. Sharing Circle

August 12th, 2019

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in Committee Work, Meeting Agendas 0 Comment

Camrose Pride Community
Date: Monday, August 12, 2019
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Place: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room

  • Introductions
  • Erika – CSL students for Fall 2019
  • Zack – Fall Bank$ Ball – sponsorship? Volunteers?
  • BVJ Parade debrief
    • Response to hate signs at parade/chalk out front of library – should we do a public response or ignore it?
    • Have received supportive inquiry from the Colleen Nelson at the United Church, they will support us in any way they can and wanted to check in on how we were doing with the parade hate signs
  • Camp fYrefly Resource Fair Debrief
  • Reading with Royalty Debrief
  • Haven Art Therapy Update – Art therapy pilot group in the works – looking to create a peer facilitator position from the community. Details to come
  • UPDATES: Leadership Team Positions
    • At current, the leadership stands as:
      • Lead Chair: Gus
      • Co-Chair – OPEN – any ideas of who to approach? Melissa has declined
      • Secretary: Lucas
      • Treasurer/Banker: Margaret (through CDSS) is transitioning. Candy Morningway has been invited to become Treasurer – response:
      • Member-at-Large: Amielle
      • Member-at-Large: Robyn
    • Nikki remains as support through the AltView foundation.
  • Financial Report
    • Margaret sends regrets.
    • Nikki has requested she email the Financial Report in to be presented tonight.
  • Society Status
    • Update – signatures on document application
  • Upcoming Events and Plans
    • Community Registration Night, Thursday, September 5th evening – Lucas & Amielle will have our table
      • What do we need?
    • Fall Family Dance – Bailey is booked up and hasno room. Do we want to look at another location? A different date/season?
  • Upcoming Regular Meetings
    • Regular Meeting for Planning and Connection
      • Monday, September 9th, 2019 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Camrose Public Library Irving Room
      • October and November meeting dates have been rescheduled with the Library to work around stats:
        1. Tuesdays, October 15, and November 12, 2019
    • EspressOUT
      • Monday, August 26th, 2019 5:30pm – 7:30pm
        • Location: Camrose Coffee
        • Theme: Tarot night? Colouring Party?
    • Friends and Family Meeting
      • They will not be meeting for June, July, August, and September. They will return to regular meetings in October.
  • Sharing Circle

BVJ Parade!

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in BVJ Parade, Special Events 0 Comment

We are planning our entry into the BVJ Parade August 1st!!!

Would you like to join in and help decorate? ?️‍? Would you like to walk with us in the parade??
?️‍??️‍??️‍?

If you want to come help out, contact Amielle at her email: amielle@ualberta.ca

We are currently setting the date for decoration (sometime in the days leading up to August 1st), and setting the time and location to meet the morning of the parade!

Join us and WALK WITH PRIDE!!!

July Meeting Minutes

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in Meeting Minutes, Special Events 0 Comment

Camrose Pride Community
Date: Monday, July 8th, 2019
Time 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Place: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room
Attendance: Gus, Nikki, Ron, Lucas, Stephen 

Regrets: Margaret, Amielle, Robyn

  1. Introductions
  2. Leadership
    1. Melissa Wilks (Sir Racha) was the co-president of Aqua, and is interested in being co-chair, though she will be gone from January to May. While there are many things happening during this time, we’re very open to her co-chairing. If there are interested parties, we could have an acting co-chair during the interim. Nikki will follow-up with Melissa. 
    2. We are still openly looking for a treasurer. If you know anyone who may be interested, please let us know.
    3. The PDF of the bylaws are now available on the website. 
  3. Financial Report
    1. Margaret is unable to attend this evening to provide the financial update.
  4. Society Status (Incorporation)
    1. We were rejected on our previous application.
    2. We need 5 signatures on the bylaws and the application and a witness. Nikki will be the witness and the executive will be the 5 names. 
    3. Name Change: We need a legal name like society, association, and it must be at the end. It will be our legal name, but we can still remain Camrose Pride Community informally. Our bylaws will remain the same
    4. Our official address will be Gus’ home/business’ address. 
    5. Nikki knows that it may be about 6 or 7 months to finalize.
    6. The fee was returned to Carol, and she will let us know when she receives it, so we can use it for our reapplication.
    7. The name requirements are distinctive, descriptive, legal:
      1. Distinct: unique word or location (Camrose)
      2. Descriptive: what it does or is (Pride)
      3. Legal: possibilities include society, association, club, fellowship, guild, foundation, institute, league, committee council board center or bureau.
    8. Gus passes motion to have name become Camrose Pride Society legally, though remain informally Camrose Pride Community. Motion passed.
  5. Upcoming Events and Plans
    1. United Church
      1. Gus went to the United Church to speak about the possibility of having Pam Rocker (Calgary) come to Camrose. She helps bridge the gap between traditional Christianity and queer-affirmative Christianity. 
      2. She charges $300/400 for a sermon or workshop. She would cost about $1000 total with expenses.
      3. The Bethel Church (Ellen Parker) is queer friendly, as is the United Church, and we could share fees to have her speak in Camrose.
      4. We could have this near the time of the Family Dance.
      5. Gus will follow up with Bethel Church, United Church, and Pam Rocker.
    2. Camp fYrefly Resource Fair
      1. Campy fYrefly is held at Augustana and invited us to attend the resource fair.
      2. Lucas and Chris (Friends and Family) are going to sit at the table. Anyone/everyone is welcome to join us (Nikki will connect Lucas and Chris).
      3. Gus should have our tri-fold table display (already complete) in his storage, and will look for it. Lucas will come pick it up.
      4. It would be nice to have something branded to handout to children. As this is very soon, we may not be able to have it ready for this, but something impermanent (like a flyleaf) may work for the interim.
        1. We will speak about branding for the CPC at future meetings.
      5. Lucas will print out a sheet for e-mail sign-up.
      6. Lucas will create a flyleaf.
    3. Reading with Royalty – Friday, July 26th, 1pm – 3pm
      1. Robyn Banks (Zach) and Sir Racha (Melissa) will be reading to children at the Camrose Public Library
      2. Lucas will come to support/partner. Everyone/anyone is welcome to come as well! 
      3. We have decorations/pride flags/etc. we can share. Lucas will pick up from Gus.
    4. Big Valley Jamboree Pride Parade – Thursday, August 3rd (3 WEEKS AWAY)
      1. Deadline: Sunday, June 13th – Insurance
      2. Meet-up by about 8:00am/9:00am in the morning.
      3. Amielle and Margaret said they would be back in time, and will be handling that this week.
      4. BVJ Parage is aware that we want to come.
      5. Shae (Millet) and Tinelle had said something about building a float, but unfortunately did not connect with CPC. We will keep this in mind for next year.
      6. Tish’s car is confirmed.
      7. Leies, bubbles, feather boas, sticker moustaches are some of the things we would like in our tickle trunk.
      8. We have pom poms from last year to attach to the car.
      9. We can order more pride tape from Edmonton (for the Kodiaks). Gus will look into ordering more pride tape. 
      10. We will have another meeting about the float as soon as possible.  We will decide through email. Nikki will send out email.
      11. Tish’s car is confirmed.
      12. Lucas will go to dollar store/tree to get supplies for the tickle trunk.  
      13. Sir Racha is confirmed. Robyn Banks is confirmed. Nikki will contact the Kodiaks. Nikki will ask Carol for the contact.
      14. Decorating car closer to, either the Tuesday/Wednesday beforehand. Robyn Banks would like to come as well. Nikki will send out email and social media to garner help.
      15. Gus makes motion to spend up to $271.00 for float. Stephen seconded.
      16. Nikki will start social media campaign.
      17. We encourage everyone to come and walk with us!  
    5. Pride BBQ
      1. We made $122.85 from donations..
      2. We saved $158.50 was saved from the initial slated amount of $500.
      3. ~170 attendees
      4. A resounding success! 
    6. Community Registration Night
      1. Thursday, September 5th, 2019
      2. We will revisit closer to the date of.
    7. Fall Family Dance
      1. This is generally held on a Friday or Saturday in October.
      2. We must book the Bailey Theatre which costs about $700. Gus will contact the Bailey Theatre about what dates work best. 
      3. Possible dates:
        1. Friday, October 18th
        2. Saturday, October 19th
  6. Queer Friendly Business List/Certification(to-do)
    1. Nikki is creating a list of queer friendly business, so if you have any ideas, please send them to her. She is thinking of creating a written agreement to establish what creates a safe place.
    2. Before we can certify them as a safe-space business, we could have a meeting with them.
    3. We will discuss this idea further in future meetings.
  7. Upcoming Regular Meetings
    1. Meetings – We will continue to use the Irving Room for regular meetings (instead of the Bunker)
      1. For October and November the 2nd Mondays are holidays, so we will hold them that Tuesday instead. Nikki will contact the library about the change.
    2. eXpressOUT
      1. Monday, July 29th, 2019 – 5:30pm – 7:00pm
        1. Location: Camrose Coffee
        2. Theme: Divination
    3. Friends and Family Meeting
      1. The will return to regular meetings in October. 
      2. Chris is wondering if perhaps there is an ally in the community that can create a more structured approach to this. If you know of someone that has experience with having an LGBTQIA+ person in their family that can speak to that in a structured way, let us know.
    4. Regular Meeting for Planning and Connection
      1. Monday, August 12th, 2019 6:00pm – 8:00pm
      2. Camrose Public Library Irving Room
  8. Sharing Circle

June 10, 2019 Meeting Minutes

Posted by Nikki Featherstone on in expressOut, Meeting Minutes, Pride in the Park, Special Events 0 Comment

Camrose Pride Community
Date: Monday, June 10th, 2019
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Place: Camrose Public Library Irving Meeting Room

Attendees: 7
Bernadine, Gus (Chair), Lucas (Secretary), Nikki (Community Liaison Worker), Ron, Stephen, Tish

Regrets: Margaret (Banker), Amielle (Member-at-Large), Robyn (Member-at-Large)

  1. Introductions
  2. TD Bank
    • Gus has been conversing with Lisa from TD Bank. With Edmonton Pride Parade not running this year there was extra money slotted for donation from TD Bank, so that will go to rural initiatives. Many rural communities are livening up, like Fort Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove, and Sherwood Park, with increased Pride activities.
    • There is a potential for $25,000! Lisa has provided us with a link that Nikki has accessed to apply for funding online. Nikki will explore this further and share with us.
    • Possible activities to pursue include:
      1. Status of Queer was a one day workshop in the past and well received. It dealt with some tough topics though, and we may want to go with something more celebratory.
      2. An art therapy project could be very inclusive. This could be a mural, maybe at Tish’s place.
    • Nikki will follow up with Lisa about the timeframe.
    • There is also a community connection’s grant beyond the $25k. TD has been inclusive since ‘94. We can ask for money in the future.
    • We will speak more on this after Pride in the Park is finished.

  3. Volunteer Opportunities
    • Nikki was contacted by Camp fYrefly about facilitating an art therapy workshop. She will also inquire around support that the Camrose Pride Community could possibly give as Camp fYrefly is taking place at Augustana.
  4. Leadership Team
    • Please keep in mind that we have these two positions open. If you know anybody that would be suitable for these positions, please encourage them to volunteer. We would like someone that can consistently come.
      1. Co-chair
      2. Treasurer
    • Bylaws are on the website. If you know someone that is interested, you can direct them there for that information.

  5. Succession Documents/Shared Cloud Storage
    • There is a Camrose Pride gmail, meaning there is a Google Drive. For succession documents. Nikki will give access of the drive to Lucas. This will make succession and sharing of responsibility easier in the future.

  6. Financial Report
    • Margret is away.

  7. Society
    • No updates on society status as of yet.

  8. Upcoming Events and Plans
    • Pride in the Park – Jubilee Park – Sunday, June 16th, 2019 3:00pm – 8:00pm
      1. The Camrose Police is bringing the BBQ itself. They will be picking it up as well. They will also be dropping by periodically to see how things are going. They will pick up the BBQ after 6:30pm.
      2. Food
    • Bernie and Sarah have agreed to cook. Everything is precooked.
    • They both have food handling licenses/training.
    • 4:30 to 6:00/6:30 is when Bernie and Sarah will be actively cooking.
    • Nikki purchased/will purchase all food needed the Saturday beforehand. She has a list of everything required that can be accessed here .
    • There will be vegetable trays and watermelons as well.
    • Leftover food will be donated, as we no longer have freezer space. Donations can be made to Open Door, Boys and Girls Club, and people will be encouraged to take extras home.
    • Donations
      • $190 has been raised by Lucas from Safeway,Co-op, Save on Foods, and Superstore. You can see details of all donations here.
      • Gus may ask Starbucks for a donation as well.
      • Lucas will prepare thank you cards to be signed at the BBQ. We will take a photo as the Camrose Pride Community to include in the thank you cards.
      • Bernie has graciously agreed to donate hot dog buns, hamburger buns, BBQ Utensils, and a handwashing station.In the case of light rain or a blazing hot day, we have the gazebo and tents. If there is torrential rain, we may have to cancel.All volunteers should be there by 2:00pm. We are putting up tents and decorating/preparing.Guests
      • Compass Sexual Wellness will also be there with their tent. They will have games around sexuality, free condoms, information, and more.
      • The Camrose Book Bike from the CamrosePublic Library will also be coming.
      • Miss Teen Alberta will also be there.
    • Activities
      • We’re hoping to make a selfie booth. If you have props, please bring them. Please bring boas, silly hats, etc. Gus has the supplies. Nikki will come by on Saturday, June 15th before 12:30pm to pick these up. If volunteers have any fun things, please bring them. We can get more promotion from this by posting it on our social media as well.
      • Please bring drums and shakers as well.
      • Lucas will bring some outdoor games he has.
      • Candy is bringing the music.Advertising
    • CentraCam has sent the posters out.
    • Morning News ad should be out this week.
    • Our radio ad: Nikki will be on 98.1 at 8:30am in the morning on Thursday.  They contacted us to see if anything was happening for pride. In the future we should be able to get free advertising. Most stations are willing to advertise for a community board. If we give them dates beforehand, they’ll contact you in advance to advertise.
    • We also have Facebook and Instagram to draw up. Please share as much as possible.
    • Candle Vigil/Fire Ceremony
      • There will be tealights available. If you’ve got a lighter, please bring it. Nikki will pick up some matches.
    • Candy will bring firewood for the fire ceremony.Finances
    • With all the donations, etc. we’re just under $300 or the $500 slated for the BBQ. We have plenty of money to buy supplies. With burgers and buttons by donations, we may get some money back.
    • Nikki will get there early to stake out a shelter Sunday morning. Unfortunately we cannot reserve a spot in a public park. Ron may be able to reserve a spot Sunday morning as well.
    • Reminder: This event takes place on Father’s Day, which can have a variety of mixed emotions in the queer community. This is a queer celebration within the community. Let’s focus on promoting the celebration of our inclusive queer family.
    • BVJ Pride Parade – Thursday, August 1st, 2019
      • Guests:
        • Melissa has agreed to come as Sir Racha.
        • Robyn Banks and the Kodiaks have not been asked yet. Amielle will inquire when she returns. They both were participants last year.
        • Would TD Bank want to join/send a representative? Nikki will ask about that in the future.
        • Are there others we would like to ask to walk with us?
    • Amielle and Margaret will return in time to talk about insurance before the due date.
    • Tish has agreed to us using her car. Thank you, Tish.
    • It is important that we have an open invitation for anyone to join the pride float of the BVJ Parade. All are welcome.
    • Ideas
      • Free Hugs Signs
      • After-party
      • Tish has opened her space for an afterparty to celebrate.
  9. Future Fundraisers
    • Co-op can raise funds with their BBQ in front of their store. Bernie said it was one of the best fundraisers they’ve had for her daughter. They require three people. You can easily make over $1000 in three hours.
  10. Community Registration Night – Thursday, September 5th, 2019 – 6:30pm – 9:00pm
    • No updates. Lucas and Amielle will be attending.
  11. Regular Meetings
    • espressOUT – Monday, June 24th, 2019 – 5:30pm – 7:30pmat Camrose Coffee
      • Gus will ask Sarah if she is happy with this arrangement.
      • We may move espressOUT to Thursday nights, as Camrose Downtown has the Thursday night market and it may be better business for Sarah and more traffic for us. We will do a survey at the next espressOUT.
    • Friends and Family Meeting
      • They will not be meeting for June, July, August, and September. They will return to regular meetings in October.
    • Regular Meeting for Planning and Connection
      • Monday, July 8th, 2019 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm – Camrose Public Library Irving Room
      • If we can, we may ask to book the Irving Room from now on, as it is bigger and more open than the Bunker.
  12. Sharing Circle
  13. Meeting Adjourned: 7:30pm