NU students and faculty building community through Positive Spaces Project

A research project aiming to determine what services, programs, and supports are needed in North Bay’s *LGBTQ2S+ community features a strong Nipissing University connection.

The North Bay Positive Spaces Project features current Gender Equality and Social Justice student Candace Ghent as Research Coordinator. Dr. Wendy Peters, Associate Professor of Gender Equality and Social Justice, serves as Project Evaluator, and an undergraduate History student worked as an assistant on the project.

The one-year North Bay Positive Spaces Research Project is now nearing completion. The research team has spent the last year exploring what the local *LGBTQ2S+ community need to receive safe, meaningful, and inclusive services in North Bay. The team is now ready to share the findings and recommendations.

“It is well documented that LGBTQ2S+ persons experience a myriad of challenges. These challenges are exacerbated by North Bay's small and rural/isolated location. Currently there are no services for LGBTQ2S+ people in North Bay. The North Bay LGBTQ2S+ population has low visibility, few active community groups/hubs, and scarce/inaccessible educational resources. Also, LGBTQ2S+ newcomers/refugees experience additional challenges of language, cultural differences, immigration experiences, and possible trauma. The North Bay Positive Spaces Research Project has been exploring these challenges over the last 12 months,” stated a media release organized by the Positive Spaces research team.

They invite everyone in the North Bay and surrounding area to attend one of two free Community Presentations on Thursday, September 6, from 2 – 4 p.m. or from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Grande Event Centre (192 Main Street East in North Bay).  Registration is available, here.

As part of the research, information and feedback was gathered from LGBTQ2S+ people living in and/or accessing services in North Bay. The LGBTQ2S+ community was engaged through an online Community Survey, confidential focus groups, and one-on-one interviews. The team will be sharing the data with the North Bay community at the September 6th presentations.

Those in attendance will hear the recommendations, and have an opportunity to share their feedback, meet the research team, network, and explore the significance and impact of the local research findings.

The North Bay Positive Spaces Research Project is a project of the North Bay Local Immigration Partnership and housed at the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre and has been funded through an Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed Grant.

* LGBTQ2S+ = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, 2-Spirit, and the “+” represents and acknowledges other identities not explicitly listed in this acronym.

For more information please contact Candace Ghent (pronouns they/them) at 705-495-8931 or candaceghent@nbdmc.ca