When Mickey from Lethbridge jumped in to organize the event there, he had one criteria he would not budge on: that we would have the meeting at Lethbridge Immigrant Services.
This bridging of the "mainstream" with GLBT refugees reflects one of the principles of this work. We need to be working collaboratively with agencies like Lethbridge Immigrants Services to understand the work associated with refugees, their rights and settlement.
Lethbridge was an amazing meeting -- with nine people who participated in a long, detailed discussion about the project, refugee rights, Group of 5 sponsorship (pro and con), and the importance of education about the challenges that refugees face when arriving in Canada.
The discussion was really the "toughest" one to date -- but also incredibly powerful. Taking a stand, doing something or wanting to make a difference will involve struggle, debate, tension and hope. Those are some of the experiences I am witnessing and participating in.
Heading to Winnipeg this morning on a 21 hour bus ride -- and will blog the rest of this leg over the weekend.
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