PEERS Alliance links people by creating community centre for a day

P.E.I.'s PEERS Alliance brought together members of the Island's LGBTQ community on Saturday to create what it calls a community centre for a day.

The group transformed the Haviland Club in Charlottetown into a pop-up community space for LGBTQfolks, allies and families to come togetherand participate in a number of activities and information sessions.

Theevent is the culmination of the organization's Linking Together project, which began last fall and aims tobuild resilience, pride and connectedness in the LGBTQ community on the Island.

Cybelle Rieber, the organization's executive director,said throughout the project there was much discussionabout the need for a physical space for LGBTQpeople to gather.

"We don't even have a gay bar, we don't have a specific gay cafor queer caf," Rieber said."Creating a centre is just really important to create that sense of belonging and community.

"We know that here on P.E.I. we have a large 2SLGBTQ community but many people also live in isolation. So having a community centre for a day is an example of what's possible," she added.

'Starting something new'

The event started with a group discussion about the possibility of creating a more permanent LGBTQ community centre on the Island andwhat types of activities and programs peoplewould like to see offered.

"We're having a community discussion is there a desire for a space for2SLGBTQpeople to gather and what could that look like?" saidHannahGehrels, co-ordinator of the Linking Together project."How do we start building towards that?What do we want to be included?"

The goal of Saturday's event is to show people what a community centre could achieve and make sure everyone's ideas and opinions are brought to the table, she added.

"We're starting something new and we really want to start by asking everybody their thoughts, opinions, ideas so that it really builds from the ground up."

Building relationships

The event also included a number of workshops and information sessions, including a drag makeup tutorial, knitting, a seminar on P.E.I.'s LGBTQ historyand resources for allies and families.

Gehrels said the ultimate goal is to create a place for people to connect.

"It's that space where people have the opportunity to gather together, to meet, to chat, to start to learn about each other and build relationships," Gehrels said. "It's in that relationship building and that community building that reduces the isolation that a lot of us in the community feel."

Rieber said PEERS Alliance will use the feedback gathered at the event as it continues to explore the possibility of establishing anLGBTQcommunity centre on the Island.

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