Pride Month is being celebrated across all Conestoga campuses in June, but 2SLGBTQIA+ events and support also continue year-round at the college.
Pride celebrations continue at Conestoga beyond Pride Month in June.
This year’s celebration aimed to make Pride more visible with Intersex inclusive flags flying at every campus, rainbow balloons and newly released inclusive backgrounds for virtual meetings - and that approach is being enthusiastically embraced by the Conestoga community, said Anthony Nguyen (he/him), Student Engagement and Experience programmer, Inclusion & Belonging.
Students attending events appreciated the warm welcome, with one telling Nguyen after attending a 2SLGBTQIA+ social that they recently arrived in Canada and the event was the first time in a long time they felt this happy, like being at home again.
Many students have attended numerous 2SLGBTQIA+ events at Conestoga, while, for others, it is their first-ever Pride event. “I love that we can provide this opportunity for our students,” Nguyen said.
Those opportunities continue long after Pride Month in June. Student Engagement continues to host outreach activities. Several are planned in July at Brantford, Cambridge - Reuter Drive, Cambridge - Fountain Street and Guelph campuses. There is also an opportunity to join Virtual Queer Yoga on July 10, and Queer Karaoke in Guelph on August 7. More information is available through the Student Success Portal.
The month of June is packed with events on campus andin communities the college serves, including Pride Flag Raising in Milton, Waterloo Pride Kick Off, Guelph Pride Events, tri-Pride Summer Festival in Kitchener, Cambridge Pride Week, Milton Pride Fest, and Pride in the Park in Brantford.
“June is internationally recognized as Pride Month and a time to celebrate, acknowledge, and support the diversity, experiences, and contributions made by 2SLGBTQIA+ students, employees, alumni, retirees, and our community members at the college,” said Amy Baird (she/her), associate director of Student Experience. “Pride is about celebration and the perseverance of inclusion.”
The month-long celebration at the college started with Conestoga Students Inc. (CSI) hosting a Pride kick-off event with queer entertainers and “pronoun stations” where the community could also learn more about 2SLGBTQIA+ programming at Conestoga. Student Engagement held a 2SLGBTQ+ social with food, bingo, and drag performers. Queer peers, staff, and community partners like Spectrum (Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space) were also present.
“Conestoga values inclusiveness and has highlighted its importance with key initiatives,” Baird said. “That includes an effort to work together to centre the voices of Black, First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and other equity-deserving groups as we advance 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives and all other intersectional work.”
Conestoga's Student Engagement meets the needs of students through innovative programming designed to achieve goals with learning outcomes-based initiatives, including the Co-Curricular Record; Orientation; equity, diversity and inclusion education and programming; the Leadership Workshop series; and various student volunteer, leadership and committee opportunities.