Author: Camrose Pride

Join us for our February meeting on Monday the 5th. We will be meeting at 5:30pm outside the Chapel in the Faith and Life Centre. At 6pm we will move to the Library to attend a Human Library Presentation or to the Wahkohtowin Lodge for a Winter Stories session. Hope to see you all there.

13 in attendance

Action items are in purple.

1. Sharing
2. Financial Update
   • Margaret shared the financial statement to date.
   • The yearend financial statement will be prepared after the end of January.
   • Camrose and District Support Services will be able to provide some grant monies again this year, but the amount will reduced due to their budgetary restraints.
3. Plans for Pride Week – February 26 – March 2
   • Various Augustana Student Association groups are collaborating in planning and hosting Pride Week.
   • Wayne and Carol are on the planning committee to represent Camrose Pride Community.
   • There will be a Bake Sale held during the week (day to be determined) and donations of baking would be appreciated.
   • Camrose Public Library will be planning to host some events and decorate the library in recognition of Pride Week.
   • Discussion followed about possible community events that could be hosted in the community during Pride Week
     1. Special espressOUT during the week at a community coffee shop
     2. Games night at a community venue
     3. Inquire about Quantum Comics making a presentation about queer comic book characters
   • A Glam afternoon will be hosted at House of Hair Design from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 25. Everyone is invited to come and experiment with their makeup and costumes in preparation for So You Think You Can Drag.
   • So You Think You Can Drag will be hosted at the Bailey Theatre on Friday, March 2.
4. Community Service Learning Opportunity
   • The Augustana Learning and Beyond office contacted Wayne and asked if we would like a Community Service Learning student to assist with Pride Week.
   • Wayne accepted the offer on behalf of Camrose Pride Community, but at this time we do not know yet who it will be or when they will be starting.
5. Not for Profit Status Discussion
   • Wayne and Margaret will begin work on the Not for Profit Status paperwork in February.
6. Discussion about Meeting Times and Locations
   • espressOUT has had great turn out since moving to the Augustana Forum.
   • There was discussion about trying out some other community venues for espressOUT to be more visible in the community and show our support for those businesses who have been supportive to us. We also discussed whether or not to move the time from 5:00-6:30 p.m. to 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. No decisions were made at this time.
   • There was also discussion about whether or not to continue to meet at Camrose United Church for our regular meetings and whether or not this may be a deterrent for some people. We discussed other potential venues such as Camrose Public Library.
   • All meetings will remain at the locations and times as advertised for now, but we encourage others to express their opinion to the Leadership Team (Wayne, Gus or Carol) as to locations for our meetings before a decision is made as a group about any changes.
7. Future Plans
   • Big Valley Jamboree Parade: The group agreed that the entry in the Big Valley Jamboree Parade in August was very successful and we would like to enter again this year.
     1. Consider inviting other groups to participate with us (e.g. GSAs, groups from other communities)
     2. Consider entering the float in the Edmonton Pride Parade
     3. Consider handing out information related to the Prime Minister’s recent apology to the LGBTQ community.
     4. Planning for the Parade entries needs to start very shortly. If you are interested in working on this committee, let the Leadership Team know asap.
   • Community BBQ: Discussion about different ways to do a simplified BBQ event perhaps at a downtown location as a fundraiser.
   • All Ages Dances: We have received very positive feedback about the All Ages Family Dances that we have hosted.
     1. Should we be doing more of these?
     2. Timing is important to consider: possibly on in April or May and one in the early Fall
   • Educational Events: We are seeking input from members about what types of educational events are desired. We discussed some possible sessions:
     1. Another discussion about Homosexuality and the Bible (led by Liz Carter-Morgan)
     2. An interfaith panel about responses to the LGBTQ community
     3. Types of relationships
     4. Film Series about Changing Attitudes about Sex from 1850’s to 1950’s
     5. Topics that come out of the discussion notes from the Status of Queer Conference in October
   • Community Connections:
     1. Community Registration Night is a good opportunity to let the Community know we are active.
     2. Marnie Panas will be the guest speaker at Camrose United Church in the spring.
     3. We will be hosting another Expressive Arts Night on March 5.
     4. We will attend the Augustana Human Library from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 5 and then follow this with a short meeting just outside of the Augustana Faith and Life Chapel.
8. Other items for discussion
   • Google Calendar has now been included on the Camrose Pride Website. Jen will post 3 months at a time. Send any dates that need to be posted to Jen.
   • The Photo Gallery is going to be going live soon on the website. Please send any photos to Jen and make sure that permission has been obtained by those in the photos.