Positive Spaces Initiative news

A PSI 2012- 2013 Update
Hurley
04/05/2013 - 20:44

 

It's been a while since we did a PSI update! Since March is the end of the "fiscal year", we created a PSI Annual Activity Report which we will upload to this site soon. It will document the many incredible achievements that PSI has accomplished this year. Here are the highlights of the report:

“I loved the opportunity for dialogue. I especially think it is important to create a safe space to talk because people can’t lose their misconceptions unless they engage in conversation which helps them to unlearn them.”

- PSI Workshop Participant

Between April 2013 and March 2013, PSI has delivered training/workshops to over 600 service providers, staff, management, board members, volunteers and other stakeholders from over 80 organizations across the Province of Ontario.

An additional 112 more people took the PSI online course at www.learnatwork.ca.

The number of visits for our site www.ocasi.org/positivespaces went up 67.20% from the previous year!

In February, 2013, PSI started to feature Agencies and Projects that commit to addressing equity and inclusion in the workplace. We did this to give recognition to organizations working to be a more inclusive and positive spaces as well as to inspire and motivate other organizations to start the process. So far, we have featured 5 agencies – all of which have received PSI training.

PSI started using social media to connect and engage the online community this year. PSI now has a Twitter and Facebook page that continues to grow in followers and fans! Our social media enables us to connect and interact with other agencies and organizations online, not just in Ontario or Canada but as well as across the world.

Follow our twitter @ocasi_psi and “like” us at facebook.com/PositiveSpacesInitiative.

In late January 2013, the PSI Online Community of Practice went live! The PSI Forums provide opportunity for service providers as well as community members to create and sustain an online network to:

 

  • Support one another in addressing issues of LGBTQ newcomers and refugees
  • Increase capacity within newcomer, immigrant and refugee communities and mainstream LGBTQ communities to better serve LGBTQ newcomers and refugees
  • Promote LGBTQ newcomer events, projects and initiatives
  • Ask questions, engage in online discussions, share best practices and help raise awareness on LGBTQ newcomer issues.

 

Positive Spaces is more than just a one-time workshop and training. It is a continuous process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation, inclusion and belonging. We want to create sustainability with the project so that there is ongoing support for service providers and community members on how to continue to create positive spaces and making sure that LGBTQ newcomers feel included and integrated in the society. We are connecting and collaborating with OCASI member agencies, LGBTQ serving organizations and community members to form regional networks to better facilitate the Positive Spaces Initiative. This year, we connected and networked with service providers from London, Ottawa, North Bay and with the Toronto LGBTQ Settlement Network to lay the framework of a network of dedicated organizations and stakeholders to address equity, inclusion and positive spaces.

The Positive Spaces Initiative...

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Feature Agency of the Week: Asian Community AIDS Services
Hurley
03/11/2013 - 15:54

 

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The history of Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) is about social justice and preserving people's dignity. This organization was formed by a group of Asian gay men, lesbian women and straight allies who realized that the only way to fight marginalization and discrimination faced by Asians living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQs is to work together and form an organization to address such service gap. ACAS is committed to creating a safe environment for our community, and ensuring service users feel safe and dignified.

ACAS values a peer-to-peer based approach and all their staff are community members who may share similar lived experience with clients and volunteers. Accommodating and respecting confidentiality is an essential value in their work. 

At an agency level, ACAS has an anti-oppression policy and a process of informal and formal complaint for those who feel discriminated, mistreated, or biased against. Equity and Diversity training is encouraged for staff and volunteers. In March 2012, PSI did training with staff and volunteers. ACAS staff challenge themselves to understand and embrace differences. ACAS also encourages volunteers and service users to do the same: to be open-minded, to refrain from judgment, to respect, and to grow.

From people living with HIV who access support services to Trans sex workers who visit the agency to pick up condoms and lube to practice safer sex, ACAS makes sure everybody feel safe and welcomed as part of the community.

The following is the experience of an ACAS Youth Program volunteer:

“Everyone has their own definition of what safer space is. For me, I’ve found my own definition of what safer space is at QAY. The space that QAY creates in their events and meetings, whether it is an actual physical space or an invisible psychological space, describes what I want a safer space to look like: an open-minded atmosphere where everyone respects everyone’s own identity, and a place where everyone has opportunities to grow and learn. QAY is eager to learn new things, accept challenges, make a difference in the community, and help each other all the time. This place is where I find peace and comfort of expressing who I truly am without thinking about how others will judge me. This place is where I feel a sense of belonging and appreciation. This place is where I polish old skills and learn new skills so I can return them to the community. This is why I go back to QAY all the time.”

Because of ACAS’s diverse programming, each specific program may have its own way of ensuring the space is safe and welcoming for its service users. However, all their programs actively seek peers to provide feedback so they can improve their practices continuously. 

“We strongly believe our service users and volunteers are the backbone of our organization, and we at ACAS are committed to work collaboratively to building a stronger community.”

To find out more about ACAS, please visit www.acas.org or follow us on Facebook (Asian Community AIDS Services) or Twitter (@ACAStoronto).

 

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Feature Agency of the Week: Windsor Women Working with Immigrant Women
Hurley
02/25/2013 - 19:41

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Windsor Women Working With Immigrant Women has been a Positive Spaces Initiative (PSI) partner since July 2011, after an invigorating and informative two-day PSI training presented by OCASI. When WWWWIW identified and recognized the need to address the gaps in knowledge and skills amongst staff and clients at the agency on LGBTQ newcomer issues, two of WWWWIW staff began looking for formal LGBTQ newcomer welcoming and inclusive communities’ workshops. They soon came across OCASI’s Positive Spaces Initiative training.

The training proved to be very rewarding, as some staff had the opportunity to ask some very sensitive questions and engage in dialogue on LGBTQ newcomer positive space issues. It helped recognize and address many barriers and challenges on creating a positive space within the agency. Since the training, WWWWIW have been trying to facilitate a welcoming and inclusive space. PSI posters and postcards are visible at the entrances of offices on every floor, and available in a variety of languages. They also encourage questions and dialogues from clients to better facilitate positive communication and education. On WWWWIW’s central intake form, they have taken out the ‘identify as male or female (sex)’ question, and replaced it with a more inclusive gender and/or gender expression question with a blank space to allow the client to self-identify. In their database, they also have a field for same-sex relationships, be it marriage, common-law partnership, or others.

The WWWWIW website http://www.wwwwiw.org/ also includes one of the PSI postcard to ensure that those who view it know that we are committed to positive and inclusive spaces.  They have incorporated sexual orientation and gender orientation into their Statement of Philosophy as an equal opportunity employer, as well as in their Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression policies. These are in their Employee Handbook’s and are thoroughly reviewed with new hires, and restated in organizational policies. In hiring procedures, job postings and interviews, WWWWIW always mention that they are committed to employment equity initiatives and encourage Internationally Trained Professionals and members of ethno-racial, aboriginal, immigrant, refugee, LGBTQ and disabled community groups to apply and self-identify.  WWWWIW is grateful for the opportunity to have received the PSI training. The training provided better awareness on positive spaces issues, and have started massive strides in the implementation of equitable treatment for our staff and clients who identify with the LGBTQ community. WWWWIW has since attended and marched on their first pride event as an organization.

“The training has not only helped us to identify and eliminate barriers within our organization, but also within ourselves, and it has allowed us to grow as human beings,” - WWWWIW staff.

 

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Feature Agency of the Week: North Bay & District Multicultural Centre
Hurley
02/19/2013 - 13:28

 

This past weekend was a long weekend for Ontario. We hope everyone had a wonderful and fun weekend! 

For this week, we are featuring a settlement organization up north - the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre (NBDMC). In partnership with local LGBTQ initiatives, NBDMC showcases a commitment to creating awareness on LGBTQ issues and promoting positive spaces spaces in the North Bay and area. That's why we chose to feature them this week!

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Since its inception in 2008 the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre's mandate is to provide immigrant support services to residents from Mattawa to West Nipissing and Hearst to Parry Sound. NBDMC offers; Settlement Services, Community Connections, Language classes, Volunteer opportunities, Interpretation, Translation, Referrals, Resources, and International Business services.

The Centre has spent the last year building towards a safe and positive space. HR polices were modified to reflect a supportive environment for LGBTTIQQ employees and clients. PSI signage was added throughout the centre as well as the website.  Meg Ramore, the Local Immigration Partnership Coordinator, also sits as one of the advisory committee members of PSI. Through Meg, the Centre hosted two PSI training sessions for local service providers in September 2012. Service providers from the AIDS Committee of North Bay, Amelia Rising Sexual Assault Centre, Near North Youth Centre, Nipissing University Students Association and Pride on Campus (Nipissing University and Canadore College) attended the 2 day workshop.

The Centre is currently working with Pride on Campus (Nipissing University and Canadore College initiative) to create a positive space network in North Bay. The Centre will also be working with Nipissing University Residence Dons to train them in positive spaces.

The North Bay & District Multicultural Centre works to be a Northern Ontario leader in promoting positive space culture and continues to work with OCASI’s Positive Space Initiative to achieve this goal.

For more information on the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre please visit www.nbdmc.ca

 

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About PSI

The Positive Spaces Initiative (PSI) was developed by OCASI to share resources and increase organizational capacity across the sector to more effectively serve LGBTQ newcomers. The strength of Positive Spaces is in creating an environment which strives to understand the overlapping and intersecting nature of our communities. We encourage agencies that deliver newcomer services to sign on as a Positive Space. All entries will be subject to approval by the Positive Spaces Initiative.

 

What's New for 2013

PSI is now on facebook and twitter!

Please "LIKE" our Facebook page.

Follow us on twitter: @ocasi_psi

OCASI is excited to announce 16 hours of training! This training is delivered in your agency and the facilitator can travel throught the Province of Ontario to train staff members irrespective of their roles in the agency. All of the workshops are free-of-charge.

For further information on how to receive the workshop, see Find Trainings.

Elearning modules are already available in English and French at http:///www.learnatwork.ca.  These modules are self-directed, and meant to stand alone but can also be viewed as enhancing the facilitator-lead trainings.

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