The meeting attracted 16 people at ISIS -- the Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services. (Check them out at: http://www.isisns.ca/ ). It is the largest orgnaization in Halifax doing work in this area (100+ staff). There were a number of folks from the LGBT community and several from ISIS. This was the first time we have had such a mix of concerned community with ground level agency settlement people. It allowed for a great discussion and exploration of the issues.
The LGBT community folks had great ideas and questions about what is involved in refugee issues and sponsorship. Similarly, the ISIS folks who were there are very interested in LGBT issues and challenges for refugees in terms of settlement and integration. We have an incredible opportunity for agencies and the queer community to join together and learn from eachother.
I must mention Evelyn Jones at ISIS who organized the meeting space, bought the goodies, and provided plenty of handout material on private sponsorships and Group of 5. I learned a great deal tonight -- and also solidified my hope and belief that the potential for amazing collaborations exists. No question.
This ends the Maritime portion of the tour.
Next stops -- as we approach the end of the national tour are St. John's, London, Toronto and Ottawa. Stay tuned. Those will come in mid- to late-July.
Returning to Montreal and then home tomorrow and Thursday. Will be offline for a little while recharging batteries and enjoying the Ottawa Jazz Festival.
Finally! After 17 cities I have learned to use the
timer setting on my camera -- thanks to the
nice guy standing on the right!
Pretty good group eh?
Great to learn more. Thanks so much for your visit and keep up the great effort! We will do our part to continue to promote North Star Triangle Project here in NS.
ReplyDeleteBenjie