Queer Discussion Group Held at uWaterloo
Events of Interest
(Kinda) Annual “Family” Thanksgiving Gathering
4 months ago
by Jeremy
in Events of Interest
This weekend is Thanksgiving and it is not uncommon for some people to head home to spend the weekend with family and friends. Unfortunately, not everyone has the option of heading home for the holiday, and the campus can be a quiet and lonely place for those staying in town – but that doesn’t have to be the case this weekend! 
For the past few years, I have hosted a Thanksgiving Gathering on campus for members of GLOW, the WNDG and other members of our local Rainbow family! We generally play board/video games, chat, watch TV – it is a very informal gathering. There will also be some snacks available and we will order in pizza (pay what you can) for dinner!
This year, the event will be held in the GLOW Centre (SLC 2101) from 4:30 pm until approximately 10:00 pm.
To help plan for the event, I would greatly appreciate it if you could RSVP if you plan on attending. You can let me know at this week’s discussion or through e-mail (wndg-owner<at>lists.uwaterloo.ca).
Lots of Changes for the WNDG This Fall (Including New Location!)
5 months ago
There are a lot of changes in store for the Wednesday Night Discussion Group starting this week!
NEW LOCATION!
Unfortunately, our previous meeting location (PAS 3005) was renovated over the past few weeks and the department responsible for the room has decided to designate this room as “non-bookable”.As a result, we have had to search for a new location to hold the discussion groups this term.
I am happy to report that the Faculty of Mathematics has allowed us to book one of their lounges and that discussions will be held in the Math and Computer Building in Room 5136 from this point forward (the only exception is on September 14, when we will meet just around the corner in Room 5136B).
NEW FORMATS!
My personal thanks to everyone who completed the survey over the past week. We received responses from a diverse cross-section of the community that were extremely valuable in setting the formats for the groups moving forward. The majority of respondents requested the following rotation for the discussions – and I am more than happy to oblige:
- First Wednesday of the Month: Coming Out & Questionning
- Second Wednesday of the Month: Queer Gazette
- Third Wednesday of the Month: Community Building Through Circle Dialogue
- Fourth Wednesday of the Month: Questions from a Hat
- Fifth Wednesday of the Month: Coming Out & Questionning
NEW TIMES!
The majority of the discussions will continue to run from 7:15 PM until 8:30 PM. However, on those weeks in which we offer the Community Building Through Circle Dialogue format, we will be advertising the group as running from 7:15 PM to 8:45 PM, as the additional time will be required to facilitate this format.
NEW SCHEDULE!
Discussion group formats and topics have now been set from September 2011 through to April 2012. Check out the revised schedule at http://wndg.ca/events/schedule/.
NEW VOLUNTEERS!
Keep watch for more announcements about volunteer opportunities with the WNDG! We will need volunteers in the following areas:
- Assistant Facilitators for the Discussions
- Individuals to track and post announcements from each week’s discussion
- Moderator for the WNDG E-mail Listserv
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, let the facilitator know at any discussion group.
Thank you for your continued support of and interest in the WNDG! Looking forward to another eight months of great discussions!
Tonight: Our First Community Building Through Circle Dialogue Event!
7 months ago
This week we will be debuting our new Community Building Through Circle Dialogue format! The discussion group will take place “in circle” – an approach to community dialogue that is used in many cultures to discuss difficult topics, improve relationships and resolve differences. The circle approach focusses on providing a safe environment, promote active discussion and utilizes the concept of a “talking piece” to help emphasize that all participants have an equal value and voice in the discussion.
We will specifically be applying the circle format to discussing the Role of Religion in the Queer Community.
Hope you can make the discussion!
March at Toronto Pride (Especially uWaterloo Staff, Alumni & Faculty)
7 months ago
by Jeremy
in Events of Interest
The uWaterloo Federation of Students is hosting a trip to the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday July 3rd! This should be a very exciting year to march, as GLOW is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year! For more details and to sign-up to be part of the contingent, visit the following link:
http://feds.ca/content/uwaterloo-2011-toronto-pride-parade
In addition, there is a big push to have more uWaterloo alumni, faculty and staff march with the students this year! If you are a uWaterloo alumna/alumnus, faculty or staff feel free to use the above link to sign-up to march and contact Jeremy Steffler to let him know (check out the Staying in Touch section for contact info)! Jeremy is trying to coordinate the alumni/faculty/staff contingent in the hopes that they will have a visible presence this year!
Details of the 4-Month Club Event Now Available (Special Time!)
8 months ago
by Jeremy
in Events of Interest
The 4-Month Club event will be held on Wednesday June 15th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Health Services Building on the University of Waterloo Campus. More details can be found by visiting:
http://wndg.ca/events/4-month-club/
You can also RSVP via Facebook by clicking here.
Note that this event is being sponsored by UW Health Services. It would be great if everyone could spread the word and try to attend the event to show appreciation and support of their efforts. If there is not a lot of interest in the 4-Month Club events, it might not be feasible to arrange d future events.
Welcome to the Spring Term!
9 months ago
We start off our first discussion of the Spring Term tonight by examining the impact sexual orientation and gender identity can have on our places of work or study.
Also note that the discussion schedule for the month of May has now been posted and the entire term schedule will be posted later this week – once we finalize some exciting special events!
Hope to see you tonight
Voting is important… including voting for your pick of WNDG topics!
9 months ago
Take advantage of your opportunity to influence WNDG topics for next term (May to August). A survey is now available to solicit your suggestions for the topics next term. You can find the survey by visiting:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGxhLVF5VGNxMGg1eDZYeE1FbWdFZEE6MA#gid=0
The survey will also ask whether or not you would support piloting a new facilitation style for the fifth Wednesday of each month. Information on the Community-Building Through Dialog Circles facilitation style is provided in the survey.
Be sure to place your vote ASAP so that we can set the schedule of topics starting next week.
Did you miss the community annoucements from the WNDG? Help is here!
1 year ago
by Jeremy
in Events of Interest
Note that thanks to the efforts of some amazing volunteers, we are posting all community announcements from each week’s discussion to our website after the meeting!
You can find the announcements listed
Volunteer Opportunities and Training!
1 year ago
After a few months of discussion, I am happy to report that tentative training dates for volunteer opportunities within the WNDG have now been scheduled! If you are interested in assisting with the web page (www.wndg.ca), moderating & expanding our e-mail list and/or assisting with facilitation of our weekly groups, visit the following link to indicate your interest and the times you would be available to attend training:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dF8tanBhYnhRYkg0WWtVSXY2NkJwNVE6MQ
Training dates and times will be finalized by this Wednesday (November 3) so please sign-up right away! If you have any problems accessing the form, please e-mail wndg-owner<at>lists.uwaterloo.ca.
Thank you for your patience and understanding while waiting for all of this to be pulled together!
Anniversary and Volunteer Opportunites!
1 year ago
It is amazing how quickly a year flies by! It was almost one year ago that the Wednesday Night Discussion Group changed to its new organization and format (see the History page on www.wndg.ca for more information). I have been very encouraged by both the continued support for the WNDG from all of our sponsors & participants and the often lively and well-attended discussions that I have had the privilege of facilitating each week.
As the “new” WNDG moves into its second year, my main goal will be working toward ensuring that the group is sustainable moving forward. As the sole facilitator and volunteer, I am always nervous that changes in my own personal life, attempts to schedule vacations or the occasional bout of illness will impact the group and its participants. As such, over the next year, I would like to spend some time expanding the base of volunteers supporting the WNDG- especially in the following three areas:
- Expanding and diversifying the team of facilitators for the group;
- Managing and revitalizing of the WNDG Discussion Group Listserve; and
- Updating of the WNDG.ca Website.
If you are interested in and available to help out in any of these areas, please let me know at the discusssion or via e-mail (See the Keeping in Touch Tab for more information). I will be scheduling training sessions for all roles in late September and early October!
Thanks again for all of your support over the past year!