The Estevan Public Library hosted socially conscious and creative kind of workshop, this past Sunday.
Moose Jaw Pride in association with the Saskatchewan Centre for International Cooperation, ran a poetry workshop. The focus of the workshop was creating a dialogue on human rights issues social justice issues - particularly in relation to the experiences of the LGBTQ community.
"We have funding to do different projects across the southern region of Saskatchewan from the Community Initiatives Fund. We're doing different workshops," said Joe Wickenhauser, executive director of Moose Jaw Pride. "A lot of our workshops are arts-based or public speaking-type events, and are focused on getting people to start talking about gender and sexual diversity in a real way, sometimes for the first time in some these communities we're in."
The workshop was one of several taking place, in other cities that include Moose Jaw, Swift Current and Weyburn.
The activity at the library involved a thorough discussion of what sorts of themes and subjects participants wanted to tackle, in a safe and accepting space where people were free to express the ideas, concepts and themes they wanted to in an non-judgmental and open environment of discussion. The event's organizers guided the creative process with activities meant to focus on the style and adapt one's ideas to the structure of poetry. These exercises included taking cues from the writing of established poets, getting a feel for what sort of social issues were at stake and how they were dealt with in such a medium. There was a focus on how different social matters such as race and identity related to sexuality and what sorts of commonalities and contrasts there were between those subjects.
"It's been exciting to have these connections with different people. Sometimes people are really surprised that there could be a pride event in a community like Estevan or Weyburn, but we've seen some good support, and we're just starting out," said Wickenhauser. "We will see where it goes. There are LGBTQ people in every community in Saskatchewan, so we're just looking to connect with that and say 'Hey, you're not alone.' I think identifying as LGBTQ in a smaller community can feel very isolating and there are some challenges that go along with that."
Wickenhauser said that spoken words and poetry were chosen as the medium for the workshop because they serve as an empowering means of self-expression, adding, "I think it's a good way for people to practise expressing themselves in different ways. They can practise sharing their story and finding their voice through poetry."
Looking forward, Wickenhauser said a major goal for Moose Jaw Pride is to connect with local LGBTQ leaders in each community in which the group is active. He said there have been some very successful initiatives through Moose Jaw Pride happening back in Moose Jaw, and by sharing that success and how it came about with others, primarily through workshops, it can be spread to smaller communities.
