New Website, New Newsletter!
Welcome to the Spectrum and our Brand New Around the Rainbow Website
Family Services Ottawa's Around the Rainbow Project is pleased to be launching a newly designed interactive website, www.aroundtherainbow.org! Look for easier to find resources, Delicious links, a community corner and calendar, slideshows and a brand new newsletter, The Spectrum.
The Spectrum is our new electronic newsletter featuring news, information and community events from Around the Rainbow and the greater community. You can read the current issue of The Spectrum or browse our archives at the new Around the Rainbow site found at: http://www.aroundtherainbow.org
/index.php/newsletter/
Do you have a story to share, a picture to add, or an event to promote in The Spectrum or on our website? Email us at info@aroundtherainbow.org.
Get Involved!!!
Celebrating Rainbow Families Website Project
As part of the launch of our new website and in celebration of Family Day in February, we are asking you to submit something that tells us about your family. Whatever family means to you, we want to hear about it! Submissions can be in the form of a video, family portrait, drawing, poem or story! Get your kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, partners, spouses and friends involved!
During the week of Family Day (February 15, 2010), we will post contributions on the website in the community corner in celebration of the diversity of families we have in Ottawa.
For more information or to contribute, email us at info@aroundtherainbow.org. For more information on Family Services Ottawa, check out our website at www.familyservicesottawa.org.
LGBTTQ Rainbow Families Survey
We Want to Hear From You!
Family Services Ottawa is conducting a needs assessment/gap analysis of services available to LGBTTQ families living in Ottawa. If you're a member of an LGBTTQ family or a service provider, please fill out the survey online between January 11 and February 7, 2010 at www.aroundtherainbow.org. Contact Marnie at mpotter@familyserivesottawa.org for more information.
Fifth Annual Rainbow Youth Forum: Lead with Pride
Panel on LGBTTQ Families in Schools a Success
In November of 2009, members of the LGBTTQ Youth Service Providers Network as well as representatives and teachers from the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) organized and ran the fifth annual Rainbow Youth Forum. Held at the OCDSB Confederation Education Centre, the forum was the largest to date, drawing over 200 participants. Its goal was to help staff and students raise their awareness and knowledge of gender identity and sexual orientation issues in order to create safe, inclusive school environments. Youth from various schools were very involved in the planning and execution of the forum, coming up with the workshop topics, the overarching theme of the forum (leadership), helped with set-up and MCed throughout the day.
The forum included a panel on LGBTTQ families; panelists included LGBTTQ-identified youth and parents as well as their parents and children. Kate Moore of the Ten Oaks Project moderated the panel, encouraging the participants to speak about their experiences in schools as well as cool programs designed for LGBTTQ families. The panel was requested specifically by youth on the forum's planning committee and was a great success, repeating several times throughout the forum and drawing a good-sized audience.
We are pleased to welcome Hannah McGechie into the Around the Rainbow fold for the next three months! Hannah is a student at Carleton University in the Masters of Social Work Program and is doing her placement with Family Services Ottawa until the Spring. Welcome!
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Upcoming Events
Rainbow Families Meeting
February 2, 2010
Join our support, education and advocacy group for LGBTTQ families and their 0-12 year old children. Programming is provided for children 6-12 years of age, child care for children 0-5. Pizza is provided for a small donation.
Time: 6:00-7:30
Location: Centretown Community Health Centre
Contact: Marnie Potter, 613-725-3601 ex. 126 or mpotter@familyservicesottawa.org
Website: www.aroundtherainbow.org
Foster/Adopt a Snow Angel on Parliament Hill
February 15, 2010
This Family Day celebration, hosted by the Children's Aid Societies of Eastern Ontario, invites families to make and decorate snow angels on Parliament Hill. Each angel represents a child in the care of the Children's Aid Societies of Eastern Ontario, all of whom depend on families in our community. Food colouring and spray bottles will be available to decorate angels, and there will be entertainment, prizes and local celebrities and politicians attending.
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Parliament Hill
Contact: andre.fontaine@casott.on.ca
Website: www.fosterasnowangel.com
Family Day Celebration for LGBTTQ Families
February 15, 2010
To celebrate Family Day, the Around the Rainbow Project and the AIDS Committee of Ottawa are hosting a winter picnic and afternoon of arts and crafts for LGBTTQ families. Food and craft supplies will be provided. Please RSVP by February 12.
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: AIDS Committee of Ottawa, Suite 700, 251 Bank Street
Contact: Hannah McGechie, 613-725-3601 ex. 120 or hmcgechie@familyservicesottawa.org
Website: www.aroundtherainbow.org or www.aco-cso.ca
Training and Workshops
Around the Rainbow staff continue to provide training and workshops to service providers, teachers and educators in schools, daycares and preschools. Please contact us at info@aroundtherainbow.org for more information or to book a training.
Rainbow Resources on delicious.com
Check out Around the Rainbow's bookmarks page on delicious.com for the most up-to-date list of websites and online resources we feel are worth checking out, including:
Snowblower 2010: Health and Wellness Festival for Guys into Guys
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Children Take the Stage in Same-Sex Marriage Push
New to Delicious?
This website allows users to make a public list of links to websites they find interesting. Our list contains all sorts of links to articles, websites, events and initiatives related to LGBTTQ families; you can even search it using keywords.
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