2SLGBTQ+ Service Provider Gatherings

• Mon. Jan. 31, 1:00-4:30pm EST
• Tues. Feb. 1, 1:00-4:30pm EST
• Wed. Feb. 2, 1:00-4:30pm EST
• Thurs. Feb. 3, 10:00am-4:30pm EST

Our intention with this Gathering is to create space for 2SLGBTQ+ service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth who live in smaller, less-urban communities throughout Ontario. We want 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 reflects our ongoing commitment to our mandate by building and collaborating with 2SLGBTQ+ service providers and youth across Ontario.

How do 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.

We appreciate that these definitions can cause confusion. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please reach out – community@youthline.ca.  

What types of themes will this Gathering explore?

We will be exploring 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. 

Please note that given the collaborative nature of this Gathering, the exact themes and focus areas will be tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants.

Gathering Eligibility Criteria: Who is this Gathering for?  

This Gathering is for 2SLGBTQ+ service providers  who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth (29 and under) from Northern, Rural, Small Towns and/or Reserves across Ontario. 

Here are some examples of eligible applicants:

• a counsellor who works at a clinic in Thunder Bay and has a handful of 2SLGBTQ+ youth clients;  
• a nurse in Kenora who works at an Aboriginal health care center and supports 2SLGBTQ+ youth clients; 
• a shelter worker who lives and works on reserve, and supports 2SLGBTQ+ youth clients;  
• a youth worker who lives in Brampton, and holds online 2SLGBTQ+ drop-in sessions for youth across the province;  
• an artist who lives and works in Ottawa, and hosts online art-making workshops for gender diverse youth across rural eastern Ontario.  

Please note that while we are happy to accept service providers who live in larger cities, we will be prioritizing applicants who currently live (or have experience living) in northern,  rural, small towns and/or reserves across Ontario.

As an organization grounded in principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression, we will also be prioritizing applicants from communities that experience compounding forms of systemic violence, including folks who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour, and folks who are trans, non-binary, Two -Spirit and/or gender diverse.

YouthLine appreciates that identities and our relationships to them can be complex, nuanced, and evolving. Thus, we’ve created room in the application in case applicants wish to expand on their identities.

As a 2SLGBTQ+ organization, we recognize the complexities of safety and anonymity within these spaces, especially for those who are not “out” within their workplace. If you need support navigating these concerns and/or would like support in how to pitch this to your workplace, please reach out to Hayley (Manager, Engagement & Partnerships) – hayleym@youthline.ca – or make a note in your application.

If you have questions about eligibility, feel free to reach out at community@youthline.ca. 

• Mon. Feb. 14, 1:00-4:30pm EST
• Tues. Feb. 15, 1:00-4:30pm EST
• Wed. Feb. 16, 1:00-4:30pm EST
• Thurs. Feb. 17, 10:00am-4:30pm EST

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 NFP 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 is only for trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and/or gender diverse service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario.

What types of themes will this Gathering explore?

We will be exploring 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. 

Please note that given the collaborative nature of this Gathering, the exact themes and focus areas will be tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants. 

Gathering Eligibility Criteria: Who is this Gathering for?  

This Gathering is only open to applicants who are trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and/or gender diverse service providers who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth (29 and under) in Ontario.

YouthLine appreciates that identities and our relationships to them can be complex, nuanced, and evolving. Thus, we’ve created room in the application in case applicants wish to expand on their identities.

As a 2SLGBTQ+ organization, we recognize the complexities of safety and anonymity within these spaces, especially for those who are not “out” within their workplace. If you need support navigating these concerns and/or would like support in how to pitch this to your workplace, please reach out to Hayley (Manager, Engagement & Partnerships) – hayleym@youthline.ca – or make a note in your application.

As an organization grounded in principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression, we will also be prioritizing applicants from communities that experience compounding forms of systemic violence, including folks who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour.

If you have questions about eligibility, feel free to reach out at community@youthline.ca.

• Monday May 2 @ 1:00-4:30PM EST
• Tuesday May 3 @ 1:00-4:30PM EST
• Wednesday May 4 @ 1:00-4:30PM EST
• Thursday May 5 @ 10:00AM-4:30PM EST

Interested in applying? Click here for the application! Applications are due April 3, 2022

• The application survey will ask eligibility questions, along with a series of general questions about your experiences and interests that will help us get to know you a bit better.
• To see the application questions in PDF format, click here.
• If you need more time or other accommodations, please reach out – community@youthline.ca
• For more information about this Gathering, we encourage you to continue reading through this section! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to be in touch – community@youthline.ca



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 NFP 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 is exclusively for service providers who are 2SLGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous and People of Colour who support 2SLGBTQ+ youth across Ontario.

   

What types of themes will this Gathering explore?

We will be exploring 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.
 

Please note that given the collaborative nature of this Gathering, the exact themes and focus areas will be tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants.




Gathering Eligibility Criteria: Who is this Gathering for?

To be eligible for this Gathering, applicants must be Black, Indigenous and/or a Person of Colour, be part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and be a current service provider supporting 2SLGBTQ+ youth (29 and under) in Ontario.

YouthLine appreciates that identities and our relationships to them can be complex, nuanced, and evolving. Thus, we’ve created room in the application in case applicants wish to expand on their identities. This is not a requirement.

 

As a 2SLGBTQ+ organization, we recognize the complexities of safety and anonymity within these spaces, especially for those who are not “out” within their workplace. If you need support navigating these concerns and/or would like support in how to pitch this to your workplace, please reach out to Hayley (Manager, Engagement & Partnerships) – hayleym@youthline.ca – or make a note in your application.




As an organization grounded in principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression, we will also be prioritizing applicants from communities that experience compounding forms of systemic violence, including folks who are trans, Two-Spirit, non-binary and/or gender diverse.

What are these Gatherings all about?

Gatherings are 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 will be hosted in early 2022, each with 15-20 participants.

What are the Goals for these Gatherings?

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

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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 are they called “Gatherings?”

By bringing service providers together, YouthLine aims 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? And why now?

YouthLine feels 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 looking 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 is the exact focus of these Gatherings. YouthLine is taking on this work because we know the power of these spaces, especially after 18 months of increased isolation. Now is the time to prioritize relationships, community, and (re-)imagined futures.

Who are these Gatherings for? Do I have to be a Youth?

Eligible applicants must:

1. be part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community;
2. be a service provider who currently supports 2SLGBTQ+ youth (29 and under) across Ontario. This can include folks working in health care, social work, youth work, harm reduction, shelter systems, etc.; and 
3. fulfill additional eligibility requirements for each individual Gathering. On top of the above eligibility criteria, each Gathering has a different focus area, and therefore has different criteria for applicants.  For example, applicants to the Trans, Two Spirit, Non-Binary, Gender Diverse Gathering, MUST be trans, Two Spirit, non-binary and/or gender diverse. 

Folks of all ages are invited to apply – being a youth is not a requirement.

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

As it relates to these gatherings, we define 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 DOES NOT need to be the primary mandate of your role OR organization.

Here are some examples:

• a counsellor who works at a clinic, and has a handful of 2SLGBTQ+ youth clients; 
• a harm reduction worker who supports 2SLGBTQ+ youth through their outreach work;
• a youth worker who holds BIPOC-only 2SLGBTQ+ drop-in sessions every other week;  
• a nurse who works at a community health care center and supports 2SLGBTQ+ youth clients;  
• an artist who works at a community artists co-op, and hosts online art-making workshops for gender diverse youth.

If you have questions about eligibility, feel free to reach out at community@youthline.ca.

What types of themes will 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 will be tailored to the needs, interests and passions of accepted participants.

These Gatherings are for you if:

• you are interested in building meaningful relationships and community with others in a similar field; 
• you are experiencing burn out, and feeling the impacts of the not-for-profit industrial complex; 
• you are interested in sharing your knowledge and learnings, and are open to learning from others; 
• you regularly rant about the changes needed within not-for-profit structures; 
• you are intrigued by conversations about systemic advocacy and change work; and/or
• you are committed to challenging systems of violence systemically and interpersonally.

These Gatherings are 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 ask 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.

These Gatherings are not:  

• a conference;
• a passive space that you can participate in while sending work emails at the same time;
• a series of workshops; or 
• a space you can attend bits and pieces of.



Who will be facilitating at the Gatherings?

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




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



Berkha 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. Berkha 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, Berkha’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. 

Have questions, or need support with the application? Please email  community@youthline.ca