It’s finally time! Tickets for the 2024 Together for Change: Radically Safe Futures Conference are on sale now! Join us in Calgary from September 19-21, 2024, for incredible programming from organizations across Canada.
The Enchante Network’s 2024 Annual Conference
#TENConference2024
#Empower2SLGBTQIMovements
#BuildingUnity
#EnchanteNetwork
Event Details:
Date: September 19-21, 2024.
Location: Calgary, Alberta
What to expect:
Our Annual Conference is a beacon of empowerment and unity, bringing together hundreds of 2SLGBTQI+ leaders and professionals from allied sectors. It’s a space where we come together to tackle pressing issues, share insights, and cultivate sustainable strategies for the prosperity of our community and beyond.
It is also a moment to celebrate the hard work we accomplish every single day and highlight important wins along our journey.
Wondering if you should get a ticket?
This conference is the largest gathering of 2SLGBTQI+ organizations in Canada. We know that our work often gets siloed into smaller communities as we all struggle with insufficient funding, staff, or social support. A gathering of this kind is meant to inspire and connect these often isolated organizations to build stronger alliances across provinces and the entire country. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Let us come together to share resources and uplift our communities. We hope to see you there as we build a radically safe future together for change.
Members in good standing get 50% off with their early bird coupon. Check your exclusive newsletter for the discount code. Not sure if you’ve paid your 2024 fees? Email at info@enchantenetwork.ca to check.
Together for Change: Drag Brunch
As part of the Together for Change 2024 Conference, we’re inviting the public to enjoy a morning of dazzling performances by Argentina Hailey-Lawrence, Dayna Hart, and Shane Onyou. Whether you’re attending the conference or just want to join the fun, you get to be part of a celebration of 2SLGBTQI+ culture and community. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience!
Event Details
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Date: September 21, 2024, at 10:30 AM
Ticket Deals:
Individual Ticket (10+ age): $75
Group Table (10 places): $600
Your ticket includes:
A fabulous Drag Brunch with talented performers and your very own meal. You’ll also have access to the rest of Day 3 of our conference, featuring a panel on 2SLGBTQI+ collective advocacy efforts in Canada and our Centre of the Year Award ceremony, where we’ll be honouring a 2SLGBTQI+ centre. The brunch will be served buffet style, with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options available.
Invite your friends and colleagues to join us for this exciting day of festivities and fascinating conversations. Let’s get together for Drag!
Please note that if you have a conference ticket, you do not need to purchase a separate ticket for the Drag Brunch, as it is included in your initial purchase.
Upcoming Plenary Sessions
Turning the mirror inwards: nurturing radically safe workplaces
Presenter:
Erin Kang | Ontario Non-Profit Network
As we dream towards futures that prioritize collective thriving, it’s important to create environments where people can be well and thrive in their workplaces; people can only do good work if they’re well and supported! Trends like deep polarization, high turnover, and burnout prompt us to steward sustainable and supportive practices that are grounded in deep equity and the understanding that nonprofits are not immune to the forces of white supremacy and colonialism. It’s imperative to be intentional about not replicating the harmful systems we’re looking to dismantle, within our own organizations and sector. This session will mix light presentation with group conversation to invite reflection and meaningful commitments to integrating decent work practices in our workplaces.
Dreamspace: Collective Advocacy Efforts
Panelists:
Quinn Blue | Pride at Work Canada
Sean Irvine | Pride Winnipeg
Fae Johnstone | Momentum
This plenary session will explore the dynamic world of 2SLGBTQI+ advocacy efforts through the work of the Network’s Federal Advocacy Committee and beyond. Panellists will unpack what has been accomplished through collective action and where we hope to go as a unified movement in the near future.
Dreamspace: Reimagining safety for 2SLGBTQI+ communities
Panelists:
Fowzia Huda | Salaam YEG
Khadijah Anglin | Maggies Toronto Sex Workers Action Project
Alex Arseneau | Alter Acadie NB
This plenary session will encourage participants to reimagine what innovative solutions to achieve safety can look like for practitioners, community leaders, and members by listening to the project stories and experiences of three community-based 2SLGBTQI+ organizations that received funding through the Rainbow Resilience Fund in April 2024.
Upcoming Elective Sessions
When Work is Personal: Creative & Sustainable Approaches to Working from Lived Experience
By: Canvas Arts Action Programs
Format: Sharing Circle
Canvas’s session is designed with the understanding that many folks doing 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy and inclusion work are doing so from lived experience. In September 2022, the Canvas team implemented a Debrief Model, training every Canvas facilitator to be able to support participant disclosures in workshops, and systematizing the peer support that facilitators receive following challenging workshops. Canvas’s session uses its Debrief Model as the foundation, as an example of what can make working from lived experience more sustainable in the current climate. In the context of peer support, the session will introduce what being “trauma-informed” means when storytelling. The session is proposed as a sharing circle to break down power dynamics and hear from those doing the work, centering the lived experiences in the space. As part of the facilitated conversation, the session will explore narrative witnessing, with a focus on empowerment throughout. A reflection activity will also be introduced, asking participants to explore their definitions of “comfort” and “safety” in the work that we do, with critical implications of when safety is present but comfort is not, and what happens when safety is absent. The session is led by Syd Gilchrist, a registered social worker on the Canvas team.
Toward Safer Online Spaces: Mitigating the Rise of Anti-2SLGBTQIA+ Online Hate
By: ODLAN / Wisdom2Action
Format: Workshop (Structured and Interactive learning session)
This session will include a short presentation, facilitated discussion, and interactive workshop on anti-2SLGBTQIA+ online hate. We will draw from our research report, “The Internet Isn’t All Rainbows,” on anti-2SLGBTQIA+ online hate targeting 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations in Canada, and our current research project, “Digital Resilience: Addressing the Rise of Transphobic Online Hate through Community-Based Research,” which focuses on transphobic online hate targeting Two Spirit, Trans, and Nonbinary organizations. We will also share what we have learned through a feasibility study we conducted regarding the development of an online reporting tool for anti-2SLGBTQIA+ online hate. Participants in the workshop will be given an opportunity, in small groups, to share their perspectives on the rise of online anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate, with a particular focus on anti-2STNBGN hate, experienced by their respective organizations. Time will be spent establishing group discussion guidelines so that we minimize trauma, and instead foster collective learning about how to prevent and address hate in its manifestations online against 2SGLBTQIA+ organizations.
Intergenerational 2SLGBTQI+ Daring Dialogue Arts Project
By: ExChange
Format: Oral Presentation (Presentation and Q&A)
Part of the exChange initiative is an Intergenerational 2SLGBTQI+ daring dialogue arts project, whose aim is to bridge the gap between 2SLGBTQI+ youth and the elders who paved the way. We create spaces where these youth can learn the stories of how their freedoms have been won, and where older folks from the 2SLGBTQI+ can learn new terminology and gain a deeper understanding of the current evolution of the community. The goal of this initiative is twofold: to establish intergenerational reciprocal relationships through art making, and to document the storytelling of the English-speaking 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Montreal / Tiohtià:ke, which are often stories unheard. We also create opportunities for the work to be shared with the broader community. The approach for this project is Social-Innovation adventure inspired by the 2012 Centre for Social Innovation values-based and inclusive definition, which refers to the creation, development, adoption and integration of new and renewed concepts, systems, and practices. It argues for prototyping, testing, and cycles of feedback. In this workshop we will share how we have implemented this methodology and share examples of projects. We will also provide participants with our initiative’s blueprint so that it can be adapted to other contexts.
Two-Spirit Youth, Identity, barriers and resilience
By: Cercle Indigiqueer Circle of Québec
Format: Oral Presentation (Presentation and Q&A)
Throughout the last 12 months, Indigiqueer Circle in Partnership with Université de Montréal and the University of Central Florida has been conducting a research project on Two Spirit Youth (18-29) across Canada, seeking information on elements that impact development of identity (Indigenous, 2S, LGBTQ+ and other) as well as factors that increase their ability to overcome them. This session will summarize some of the findings and the implications for future research.
Research for Trans and Francophone Health Services in the West
By: Comité FrancoQueer de l’Ouest
Format: Oral Presentation (Presentation and Q&A)
In this session, we want to share our new research project, Transéquité, made possible by a multi-year grant from Health Canada. We’re going to talk about the francophone health resources that exist for trans people in Western Canada, and what resources we’d like to develop to meet community needs. The research and statistics will be presented to compare the resources available in the Western provinces to see the strengths and weaknesses of each weakness of each region. Particular attention will be paid to the linguistic assimilation of francophones who, in the absence of inclusive French-language services, often find themselves served in English, accelerating their cultural assimilation. We will also address the unique challenges faced by trans and non-binary people face in accessing care.
Queering Climate Justice 101
By: Institut Tamarack
Format: Workshop (Structured and Interactive learning session)
This session aims to offer a short introduction to climate justice, but for a queer audience. We begin with an introduction to climate change and its disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged people in society, speaking specifically of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. We will then examine the intersections between climate justice and queer rights. Through interactive discussions, participants will discover the importance of queer voices in the climate movement. This workshop will touch on topics such as queer ecology, ecofeminism, anti-racism and decolonization.
EWAKA Sustainable Housing
By: RARICAnow!
Format: Oral Presentation (Presentation and Q&A)
The session on EWAKA Housing will delve into the unique Afrocentric approach adopted by EWAKA housing, highlighting its merits and the tailored support provided to individuals. It will address the persistent challenges of securing safe housing for 2SLGBTQI+ refugees and newcomers, even within shelters. The discussion will cover six phases of sustainable housing transitioning, emphasizing intentional and direct support that is customized for individual needs. Despite perceived advancements in 2SLGBTQ+ rights in Canada, the session will shed light on the disparities in acceptance and inclusion, particularly affecting Black trans and queer community members. EWAKA’s mission is to offer a sanctuary that fosters safety, belonging, and hope, striving to bridge the gap in progress and ensure equitable treatment for all. This session aims to educate, inspire, and drive change towards more inclusive, diverse and supportive housing solutions.
National Human Rights-Based, Gender-Sensitive Shelter Standards
By: Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network
Format: Workshop (Structured and Interactive learning session)
The session will be an opportunity to engage emergency shelter frontline workers, leadership and service users, among others to present the National Standards for Emergency Shelters, and facilitate a discussion around how these standards can be implemented and put to action. The workshop will be an interactive opportunity for individuals to use the Standards as a launch pad to brainstorm ways in which the standards can be materialized through programs, policies, staff training etc. A template for action planning will be provided to each participant to carry forward in their practice.
We are pleased to announce our 2024 Annual Conference Theme.
Together for Change: Radically Safe Futures
This year, we are bringing together hundreds of 2SLGBTQI+ leaders and professionals from allied sectors to create tangible change, leaning into the power of partnerships, coalition building, and sustainable strategies to transform our collective will into radically safe futures.
What do radically safe futures look like? Join us in defining this as we discuss how 2SLGBTQI+ community needs to be thought of and prioritized in areas such as Housing, Disability Justice, Healthcare, Climate Justice, Immigration, Indigenization & Decolonization, Advocacy & Election Readiness, Anti-Racism & Anti-oppression.
Our Annual Conference is a beacon of empowerment and unity. It’s a space where we come together to tackle pressing issues, share insights, and cultivate long-term strategies for the prosperity of our community and beyond. It is also a moment to celebrate the hard work we accomplish every single day and highlight important wins along our journey.
Centre of the Year 2024
Have you experienced a program that has improved your life as a 2SLGBTQI+ person? Have you worked on a project with another organization that you want to be recognized?
Fill in the Centre of the Year nomination form today and share it with community members and non-profit organizations alike. We want to hear how our members are embodying the Enchanté Networks values.
Nominations are due August 22, 2024 at 5PM EST and we will be announcing the winner at our annual conference September 19-21 so be sure to get your tickets, on sale now!
If you need support filling in the form or have any questions, please consult the FAQ in the form or contact sam@enchantenetwork.ca.
Partner with us!
Partner with The Enchanté Network and amplify your commitment to social justice and community empowerment. This conference represents a dynamic platform where leaders, activists, and innovators converge to tackle pressing issues of our time – and you could become part of this initiative.
Together, let’s shape a better, more inclusive future!