Helping to create connections with unique programming
Aiming to engage the public with opportunities to participate in art and culture, Guelph’s annual Culture Days partners with local artists, cultural groups, and organizations to offer free activities throughout the weekend. Amid numerous events held around the city, the HIV/AIDS Resource and Community Health (ARCH) and Out On The Shelf hosted a unique mix and mingle event at The Common café on Sun, Oct. 2.
The event welcomed community members to learn about the local Peer Experience and Relation Support program (PEARS) which seeks to connect folks of the queer community who might feel isolated or are seeking to network further into the LGBTQ+ community. Current participants of the PEARS program were encouraged to share their experiences. The event also offered an opportunity to promote other local organizations and initiatives that participants might find helpful.
“…the local Peer Experience and Relation Support program (PEARS) which seeks to connect folks of the queer community who might feel isolated…”
Piloted within the last few years as an intergenerational community-building initiative, the PEARS program has developed into a sizeable service in Guelph. Jasper Smith, a sexual health educator at ARCH, noted how many queer folks would like to be more social, but face considerable mobility obstacles. For instance, older folks may not find the support they need from peers, but also due to mobility circumstances, can’t always access LGBTQ+ community events. Social isolation has undeniable and severe consequences on an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The originality of the PEARS program is intentional in its aim to bridge that generational gap.
Although many might consider the Guelph community to be warm, welcoming, and accepting, Smith advocates for many LGBTQ+ folks whose experiences might lead them to feel otherwise by helping to organize unique LGBTQ+ programs, such as PEARS and Voices of Value.
Along with outreach and educational events, the ARCH clinic services transgender folks in the Guelph community. From humble roots, the clinic has grown to receive funding to service approximately 200 people. Impressively, those involved in ARCH have been efficient with the funding and are able to medically support over 600 transgender folks.
Photo courtesy of Murrur (cc-by-3-0).