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Egale and the Pine River Institute present ‘Affirming Adults’ – an online workshop

April 12, 2023

GUELPH, ON — On Wednesday, May 10 at 6:30 pm, Egale Canada and the Pine River Institute’s Centre for Family Initiatives is putting on an online workshop to affirm young adults both inside and outside the home environment. This is a critical factor in protecting the positive mental health and overall well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

This interactive 90-minute webinar explores the vital role that all adults across the whole school community can take up in promoting environments where 2SLGBTQIA+ youth can thrive. The presentation will consider key characteristics of what being affirming means, and share practical strategies and support resources you can put to use right away. 

Participants will also have an opportunity to exchange promising tips and tools with one another. Teachers, school administrators, support staff, parents/guardians and community partners are all encouraged to join us for this rich and critical discussion.

The guest speaker for the discussion will be Jonas Stark. Stark recently joined Egale in 2022 and has more than six years of experience in non-profit work. 

His previous position was Lead Facilitator with The Get REAL Movement, a national non-profit organization that seeks to eliminate 2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination. As a leader within the organization, Jonas was able to reach tens of thousands of youth, parents/guardians, fellow educators, and corporate businesses across Canada. 

Through his queer advocacy work, Jonas has been able to integrate his own lived-experiences, and the intersecting identities of others, as a tool for education. As a Transgender man, he is exceptionally passionate about the delivery of diversity and inclusion practices and understands how critical they are in the larger scope of today’s world. 

Jonas’ family came to Canada from the Middle East before he was born, providing him the opportunity to live and work toward a safe and healthy future. This has given Jonas the lens of privilege and opportunity; something not everyone has. 

Though he falls into the category of being an introvert, Jonas specializes in vulnerability and sharing key factors that further personalize his work. His values are firmly planted in anti-oppressive politics, not only at work, but as a daily practice.

To register for the online workshop is free and you can register here.

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