Events Calendar
May Spirit guide us . . .
— Bill Chin, 48, father of two and an IT project manager
Holiday Stress Management FairLGBTQ HOLIDAY STRESS MANAGEMENT FAIR 11/17 @ Q CENTER Because of homophobia & heterosexism, the holiday season can be especially challenging for members of the lesbian, gay, bi, trans/intersex, & queer communities. A network of health providers and non-profit organizations (Q Center, YWCA Counseling Center, & Manifest/MenSpirit) are hosting a Holiday Stress Management Fair for the LGBTQ communities on Sat, 11/17, 10 am - 5 pm, at the Q Center, 96 SE Taylor (@ Water Ave just south of the Morrison Bridge). The Fair will feature: * INTERACTIVE DEMONSTRATIONS (see schedule below): A wide variety of health providers will provide 20 minute, interactive demonstrations of practical ways to manage stress with: * FREE MINI-MASSAGES, MINI-YOGA CLASSES, & ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTS throughout the fair * RAFFLE of free items like professional massages, health club memberships, acupuncture treatments, spa treatments, time management coaching sessions, etc. (to benefit the non-profit co-sponsors) * HEALTH PROVIDERS: information, & free samples from a wide array of stress management experts “LGBTQ people sometimes struggle with a lot of stress during the holidays trying to juggle birth & chosen families, work, & the ghosts of past holidays,” said Kendall Clawson, Executive Director of the Q Center, the community center for the Portland area LGBTQ community. “As a relative newcomer to Portland, I’m struck by the amazing array of stress management resources our community has to offer. We’re pleased to provide a forum in which members of our community can learn practical stress management strategies as well as connect with local resources.” “This time of year there is increased risk of depression for LGBTQ people because of how homophobia and heterosexism play out during the holiday season,” said Dr. Adrienne Wolmark, director of the YWCA Counseling Center. “Too often we don’t hear about the amazing resources & coping strategies LGBTQ people in the Portland area have created to deal with this stress. I’m excited to create a forum in which we can learn about and interact with the supports our community has developed. I want to celebrate the diverse, accessible, and interdisciplinary stress management resources that are available to serve the many parts of our community.” A sliding-scale donation is requested at the door, and proceeds will benefit the three non-profit co-sponsoring organizations. This event will be wheel-chair accessible, but sign-language interpretation cannot be guaranteed (email to request). While there will be interactive presentations every 20 minutes throughout the fair, you may come & go as you like. Check the website for the schedule of presentation topics & presenters. If you’d like to volunteer to do outreach, set up, welcoming, or cleanup, please contact Soul Dancer at 503-922-1411 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). If you’re a health provider who’d like to table at the fair, please also contact Soul Dancer to see if table space is still available. The co-sponsors wish to thank West Coast Health & Fitness for their generous corporate sponsorship of the first Holiday Stress Management Fair. “Holiday stress can be effectively managed if you have a team & tools to help you learn to juggle a lot of expectations and opportunities at once,” said Bart Church, Manifest/MenSpirit Program Director. “The Holiday Stress Management Fair will be a fun opportunity for all of us to find the teams and tools we need to become expert jugglers, or at least drop fewer balls more gracefully this year than we did last year.” INFO: Jill or Bart at SCHEDULE OF INTERACTIVE DEMONSTRATIONS AT THE FAIR Time Presentation Speaker |