Are you a 2STLGBQIA+ person looking for community and support? Pride Center of Vermont’s SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program has several offerings over winter. Keep reading to learn about our new support group, workshop and short-term counseling, and to sign up!
4-Week Support Group: Empowering Skills for All Relationships
To register: Fill out this form by December 31st, 2024
This training is based on work by Northwest Networks, a lesbian survivor founded group from Seattle. Our group will talk about various dynamics that come up in relationships, and create a trauma-sensitive space to explore ways to build safe relationships. We will use a 2STLGBQIA+ focused curriculum, incorporating facilitators’ own experiences and examples that participants choose to share for discussion. The group builds upon topics week by week, covering anti-oppression and values, expectations and negotiation, boundaries, accountability, conflict, and community. Activities include conversations and sharing examples, writing exercises and worksheets, and practicing skills together! Facilitated by SafeSpace advocate Arthur Lyu (he/him) and social worker and therapist Willow Stein (they/she), MSW.
This group is open to anyone who identifies as 2STLGBQIA+ (two-spirit, trans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, intersex, asexual, or questioning). Meetings will take place at Pride Center of Vermont (255 S Champlain St Suite 12, Burlington, VT 05401). The space is wheelchair accessible. Masks will be required and provided.
We are meeting Thursdays 6:30-8 PM on January 9th, 16th, 23th and 30th, 2025, with February 6th as an alternative date in case of heavy snow. Participation in all sessions is not required but strongly encouraged.
About the facilitators:
Willow (they/she) is a 45yo bi agender femme, artist, social worker, introvert, and neuromagical weirdo. They enjoy talking about all things relationships, identity, and gender, as well as spending time outside hiking and walking, getting their hands dirty in the garden, and lounging about in hammocks and reading. Willow was a SafeSpace volunteer, advocate, and clinical advocate for almost 10 years, and now works with SafeSpace by contract to provide short-term counseling, both individual and in group format.
Arthur (he/him) is a 22yo queer and trans man. He is a SafeSpace anti-violence advocate, a fiction writer and poet. He has been exploring gender and embodiment through art and writing, and actively learning to build community relationships as a new immigrant in Vermont. He enjoys reading books, cooking dishes from his hometown, and taking long walks outside.
Pods and Pod Mapping: Building Safety Networks
Register for this online workshop here
Join Eva (she/they), the Rural Advocacy Coordinator with the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program at the Pride Center of Vermont for an online interactive workshop on Pods and Pod Mapping. Join on Wednesday, January 15th from 6-7:30PM. Using tools and resources generated by the Bay Area Transformative Justice Coalition, Mia Mingus & Project NIA, this workshop will support in tools and conversation around what are pods, how to map out different types of pods, and how these resources can be used to form more access points for safety within yourself and your community.
2STLGBQIA+ Free Short-Term Counseling
Are you a survivor of abuse, violence, or harm and waiting to see a therapist? Questioning your gender/sexual identity and want to talk about it? Not able to find a therapist who is taking new clients? Experiencing challenging or harmful relationship dynamics? SafeSpace currently has some openings for free short-term counseling (8 sessions per person). Call SafeSpace’s Support Line: 802-863-0003 to see if counseling aligns with your needs.