VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) will host its annual knowledge exchange and capacity building conference, Summit, with both online (October 18-20) and in-person (October 27-28) editions, beginning next week. This year is the 18th edition of the Summit, which is the largest 2S/LGBTQ+ health conference in Canada.
This year’s theme is Pushing Possibilities. Community-based researchers, leaders, and organizers will come together to dive deep into strategies for strengthening access and dismantling barriers that impact 2S/LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing, and explore ways we can build on these strategies to achieve even greater outcomes.
“Two-Spirit, queer, and trans people have demonstrated that we can be leaders in driving structural change that strengthens and affirms our communities —through organization, collaboration, activism, and perseverance,” says Michael Kwag, CBRC’s Knowledge Exchange and Policy Development Director. “Take Canada’s recent ban on conversion “therapy” practices, or Health Canada adopting a new gender-neutral approach to blood donation. Both were preceded by years of tireless advocacy where we asked ourselves, each other, and those with power and privilege, to keep doing better. Still, there is so much more work to be done.”
As we continue to push for possibilities in and for our communities, this year’s conference will hone in on directions that we can take our research, programs, and advocacy, to critically investigate all the best possible outcomes for health equity while also providing support and care for each other in our own ways.
Back with an in-person edition (Oct. 27-28) after two years, Summit will also feature a three-day online edition (Oct. 18-20) to ensure that the conference remains accessible.
Sessions include:
- Keynote addresses from Jorge Flores-Aranda, Chanelle Gallant, and Hannah Kia (online), as well as Olivier Ferlatte, Percy Lezard, Darrell Tan, and the CBRC Research Team (in-person)
- “J’prends ma place!”: A Survey by and for 2S/LGBTQIA+ Youth on Mental Health, Substance Use and Resilience
- Peer N Peer Presents: The Nuts & Bolts of PnP-Focused Harm Reduction
- Clinique Mauve: Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis by Transforming Integrated Health-Care for LGBTQI+ Migrants
- Responding to Monkeypox in Our Communities – Reviewing Progress and the Work Ahead
There will also be a Two-Spirit Symposium from October 25-26. The two-day gathering is exclusively for Two-Spirit and queer and trans Indigenous folks and will provide an update on current Two-Spirit work throughout Turtle Island, collectively creating opportunities to help guide further Two-Spirit resurgence.
Registration to attend both the online (October 18-20) and in-person (October 27-28) editions of Summit 2022 is required. To register, please visit cbrcsummit.net.
The schedule-at-a-glance, as well as more information about the conference, can be found on CBRC’s website at cbrc.net/summit_2022.
About CBRC
Community-Based Research Centre promotes the health of people of diverse sexualities and genders through research and intervention development. CBRC’s core pillars community-led research, knowledge exchange, network building, and leadership development position the organization as a thought leader, transforming ideas into actions that make a difference in our communities. CBRC was incorporated in 1999 and is a non-profit charitable organization. Our main office is located in Vancouver, British Columbia; we also have satellite offices located in Edmonton, Toronto, and Halifax.
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For interviews, please contact:
Christopher DiRaddo
CBRC’s Associate Director, Communications
[email protected]
Michael Ianni
CBRC’s Media Relations Officer
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604.345.7689
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