2SLGBTQ+ Service Provider Gatherings

These Gatherings were online opportunities for 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth to come together and build connections and community, while engaging in deeper conversations around systemic challenges and different futures. 

2022

In 2022, YouthLine hosted a series of 3 online Gatherings for 2SLGBTQ+ Service Providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario!

Three Gatherings with different focus areas took place in early 2022, each with 15-20 participants. The Gatherings were as follows:

Northern, Rural, Small Town and Reserves Gathering: for 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in northern, rural, small towns, and/or reserves in Ontario [January 31-Feburary 3, 2022]

Trans, Two Spirit, Non-Binary and Gender Diverse Gathering: for trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and gender diverse service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth [February 14-17, 2022]

Black, Indigenous and People of Colour Gathering: for 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who are Black, Indigenous and/or People of Colour, who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth [May 2-5, 2022]

General Information

What were these Gatherings all about?

Gatherings were 4-day, online opportunities for 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth to come together and build connections and community, while engaging in deeper conversations around systemic challenges and different futures. Three Gatherings with different focus areas were hosted in early 2022, each with 15-20 participants.

What were the Goals for these Gatherings?

There were  three main goals for the Gatherings, and each goal was slightly adapted to better fit the needs of each of the Gatherings’ focus areas. The goals are as follows:

Fostering Community & Building Meaningful Relationships:It’s no surprise that 2SLGBTQ+ service providers experience intense burn out. 2SLGBTQ+ service providers support folks who share their identities, often work in isolation and in service provider silos, and experience compounding forms of systemic violence. By facilitating meaningful and supportive relationships between service providers, we aim to improve sustainability for the sector, each other, and by extension, improve care for 2SLGBTQ+ youth.

Sharing Knowledge & Building Capacity:These Gatherings will be a space to share knowledge and learnings, and successes and failures, with the intention of strengthening our ability to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth. We all have stories, experiences and teachings to share. Based on the interests and needs expressed by those in each group, external facilitators with expertise in specific topic areas will be invited to share their knowledge and facilitate conversation.

Responding to the Need for a Different Future:What is our role as social service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario when it comes to the future? It’s clear that the social service model isn’t working for many (most) youth, and in many cases, it’s not working for us either. Let’s have real conversations about how our roles may (and should) shift and change to actually meet the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ youth, while building strategies for how to collectively survive the NFP industrial complex.

Why were they called “Gatherings?”

By bringing service providers together, YouthLine aimed to create opportunities for relationship building and conversation around individual, institutional, and systemic change, with the main intention of improving conditions and futures for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario.  However, common models of convergence for the sector, such as conferences and workshops, aren’t always primed to foster the intended presence, interpersonal connection, and growth. By naming these opportunities as Gatherings, we intentionally free participants of preconceptions for our time together and leave room for possibilities, while also focusing on the coming together of individuals and relational transformation over disengagement and apathy in the non-profit sector.

Why YouthLine?

YouthLine felt well-positioned to facilitate these Gatherings because of our institutional knowledge and decades of experience as an organization entirely made up of 2SLGBTQ+ service providers, most of whom are youth. This reality means we understand the unique needs and challenges of 2SLGBTQ+ service providers. As skilled 2SLGBTQ+ peer support practitioners, we are looked forward to bringing these approaches to the Gatherings, and creating an environment to learn from each other.

We know that 2SLGBTQ+ service providers are wonderfully caring, incredibly strong and empathetic, and are absolutely in the best position to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth. BUT, it’s also no secret within our communities that 2SLGBTQ+ service providers experience intense isolation, burnout, vicarious trauma and systemic violence. This reality became more apparent to YouthLine after our 11-city tour in early 2020 to launch our needs assessment report: We’re Here: 2SLGBTQ+ Youth Assert Needs and Experiences in Ontario. During this time, YouthLine staff connected with dozens of other 2SLGBTQ+ service providers, and the same conversations were happening on repeat: feelings of isolation and systemic violence that ultimately led to burn out. These findings were echoed in the feedback from our online launch tour in 2021 for our newest report: Do Better: 2SLGBTQ+ Youth Recommendations for Change.

To better support 2SLGBTQ+ youth, we need space to support and connect with each other, which was the exact focus of these Gatherings. YouthLine is took on this work because we know the power of these spaces, especially after 18 months of increased isolation. It was the  time to prioritize relationships, community, and (re-)imagined futures.

What do you mean by “2SLGBTQ+ Service Provider who Supports 2SLGBTQ+ Youth?”

As it relates to these gatherings, we defined service providers as 2SLGBTQ+ individuals who directly support 2SLGBTQ+ youth as a staff member of an organization (e.g., not-for-profit, healthcare, social work, youth work, harm reduction, shelter systems, etc.

Supporting 2SLGBTQ+ youth DID NOT need to be the primary mandate of participants’ role OR organization.

What types of themes did the Gatherings explore?

Through a variety of online modalities, including large circles, smaller breakout rooms, independent work, and through online interactive platforms like Mural, we will be exploring the following themes:

sharing our knowledge/learnings with the intention of strengthening our collective ability to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth;

surviving the not-for-profit industrial complex;

building meaningful and long-lasting relationships across sectors within the confines of not-for-profit sectors; and

visioning and dreaming for different futures and realities within 2SLGBTQ+ support work.

Please note that given the collaborative nature of the Gatherings, the themes of each Gathering were tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants.

These Gatherings were meant to foster an intentional space among a small group of people, requiring focus and commitment. To create a respectful and meaningful experience for everyone, we asked participants to commit to the entire duration of the Gathering, and ideally ensure you have time during the week to do some associated independent work.

Who facilitated the Gatherings?

Each Gathering  was be led by YouthLine staff, Berkha Gupta and Hayley Moody. You can check out their bios below. The Gatherings invited a range of facilitators to lead conversations, based on the needs of the relevant focus area and participants. Some facilitators were YouthLine staff, and others were be external.

Taashi Gupta (they/them) – Executive Director, LGBT YouthLine

Taashi Gupta is a transmasculine nonbinary south asian who has spent the last 14+ years working and volunteering in the non-profit sector in Toronto and Peel region, primarily engaging youth and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Taashi is an experienced facilitator and trainer primarily focused on supporting organizational and individual change to create more anti-oppressive, anti-racist, queer and trans-positive spaces. In the last couple of years, Taashi’s interest has continued to move away from just building and organizing (i.e. doing things) to finding ways to prioritizing healing, joy, and community (i.e. being present) in all of their spaces.

Hayley Moody (she/her) – Manager, Engagement & Partnerships, LGBT YouthLine

Hayley is a queer, two spirit mixed race person currently living in Gitche Namewikwedong (Owen Sound) on Saugeen territory. She carries roots from Bootaagani-mnis as a Wiisaakodewikwe/Penetang HB, while also carrying ancestry from England and Germany. She spends a lot of her time being critical of the Canadian colonial state, and supporting land reclamation whenever she can. She can also be found watching ridiculous TV shows, drinking maple syrup, and learning how to reconnect with the land.

Northern, Rural, Small Town and Reserves Gathering

Was for 15-20 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in northern, rural, small towns, and/or reserves in Ontario

Our intention with this Gathering was to create space for 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth who live in smaller, less-urban communities throughout Ontario. We wanted to move away from the Greater Toronto Area and large Southern cities as the center of service provision for 2SLGBTQ+ youth, recognizing that service provision for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in these communities looks incredibly different.  As a provincial organization, this Gathering also reflected our ongoing commitment to our mandate by building and collaborating with 2SLGBTQ+ service providers and youth across Ontario.

How did you define “Northern, Rural and Small Towns?”

These boundaries and definitions were incredibly difficult for us to create.  For the purposes of this Gathering, we define Northern as any city, town, community and/or reserve that is located north of Parry Sound, regardless of population size. We also define Small Town and Rural as communities that have a population of 50,000 or less.

What types of themes did this Gathering explore?

We explored the following themes through a variety of online modalities, including large circles, smaller breakout rooms, independent work, and through online interactive platforms like Mural:

Collective learning and knowledge sharing with each other, with the intention of strengthening our ability to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth from northern, rural, small towns, and reserves across Ontario

supporting Black, Indigenous and People of Colour within rural and/or northern settings;

surviving as a lone 2SLGBTQ+ service provider within an organization and/or region;

navigating online and in-person program constraints within northern, rural, small town, and reserve settings;

building meaningful and long-lasting relationships across sectors within the confines of not-for-profit sectors;

surviving and working within the not-for-profit industrial complex and funding systems; and

visioning and dreaming for different futures and realities within 2SLGBTQ+ support work.

Given the collaborative nature of this Gathering, the exact themes and focus areas were tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants.

Trans, Two Spirit, Non-Binary and Gender Diverse Gathering

Was for 15-20 Trans, Two Spirit, Non-Binary and Gender Diverse Service Providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ Youth.

The non-profit sector is heavily dominated by cis folks, which means that spaces exclusively for trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and gender diverse service providers are few and far between. Trans service providers experience compounding forms of violence within the not for profit sector that are directly tied to transphobia, with many also experiencing isolation from community, and holding additional service provision burdens. For these reasons, this Gathering was only for trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and/or gender diverse service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario.

What types of themes did this Gathering explore?

We explored the following themes through a variety of online modalities, including large circles, smaller breakout rooms, independent work, and through online interactive platforms like Mural:

collective learning and knowledge sharing with each other, with the intention of strengthening our ability to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth across Ontario;

surviving as a lone trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and/or gender diverse service provider within an organization and/or region;

building meaningful and long-lasting relationships across sectors within the confines of not-for-profit sectors;

surviving and working within the not-for-profit industrial complex and funding systems as trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and gender diverse service providers; and

visioning and dreaming for different futures and realities within 2SLGBTQ+ support work.

Given the collaborative nature of this Gathering, the exact themes and focus areas were tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants. 

Black, Indigenous and People of Colour Gathering

Was for 15-20 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who are Black, Indigenous and/or People of Colour, who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth.

Spaces exclusively for racialized service providers are few and far between. Service providers who are Black, Indigenous and/or People of Colour experience compounding forms of violence within the not for profit sector that are directly tied to white supremacy, racism, and ongoing colonization of Turtle Island. Whiteness is continuously centered in conversations, ideas, and leadership positions within non-profit spaces. For these reasons, this space was exclusively for service providers who are 2SLGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous and People of Colour who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth across Ontario.

What types of themes did this Gathering explore?

We explored the following themes through a variety of online modalities, including large circles, smaller breakout rooms, independent work, and through online interactive platforms like Mural:

collective learning and knowledge sharing with each other, with the intention of strengthening our ability to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth from across Ontario;

supporting Black, Indigenous and People of Colour within rural settings;

surviving as a lone 2SLGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous and/or Person of Colour service provider within an organization and/or region;

building meaningful and long-lasting relationships across sectors within the confines of not-for-profit models;

surviving and working within the not-for-profit industrial complex and funding systems as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour 2SLGBTQ+ service providers; and

visioning and dreaming for different futures and realities within 2SLGBTQ+ support work.

Given the collaborative nature of this Gathering, the exact themes and focus areas were tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants.